Balikatan 2019: F-35Bs and MV-22Bs Flight Ops

05/31/2019
U.S. Marine Corps F35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 and MV-22B Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 conduct flight operations aboard the USS Wasp (LHD 1), April 3, 2019 in international airspace over the Philippine Sea.  The U.S. is proud to participate…

Balikatan 2019: USS WASP and F-35B Ops

05/22/2019
U.S. Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 conduct daily maintenance checks and continue flight operations in international airspace while aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) in support of Exercise Balikatan.  The U.S. is proud to participate in the Philippines-led exercise in order to conduct capabilities development…

Refueling F-35B Over South China Sea

05/13/2019
An F-35B Lightning II attack jet flies alongside a KC-130J tanker aircraft attached to a refueling drogue during an aerial refueling mission above the East China Sea, Oct. 23, 2018.  The F-35B belongs to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) and the KC-130J belongs to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron…

VMFA-121 Works Standard Ordinance Evolution

06/12/2018
Marines from the ordnance section of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, load inert explosives into an F-35B Lightning II as part of a regularly scheduled aircraft training relocation at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 15, 2018.  [maxgallery id="117647"] ATR's are designed to…

Arming the F-35 the Marine Corps Way

04/18/2018
Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 mount 1,000 pound Guided Bomb Units onto an F-35B Lightning IIs on the flight deck of the USS Wasp (LHD-1) while underway in the Philippine Sea, March 24, 2018.  This event marked the first time an F-35 has been loaded with live ordnance…

F-35As Arrive in Japan

11/21/2017
11/21/17: A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II soars over Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 2, 2017, on approach to Kadena Air Base, Japan. [maxgallery id="102799"] This marks U.S. Pacific Command’s first operational tasking for the F-35As and the first time a U.S. Air Force F-35A unit has deployed as a regularly…

F-35B Hot Loading

10/26/2017
10/26/2017: In a story published by the USMC on September 21, 2017, a recent F-35B hot loading exercise during the WTI course was discussed and highlighted. By Pfc. Ethan Pumphret MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. – Hot-loading is when an aircraft lands and has ordnance loaded while the engine is still…

F-35 and Ground Fires Integration: The Marines Work HIMARS Effectiveness

10/20/2017
10/19/2017: Marines with 3rd Platoon, Rocket Battery F, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, Marine Forces Reserve, arrive at Landing Zone Bull Attack near the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, California, Oct. 9, 2017 . [maxgallery id="101632"] The Marines are participating in Weapons and Tactics Instructor course 1-18 during their two-week annual…