Marine Assault Squadron (VMA) 214, Marine Plane Group 13, third Marine Plane Wing (MAW), carried out a re-designation ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, March 25, 2022. As a part of the transition from the AV-8B Harrier to the F-35B Lightning II, VMA-214 was re-designated as Marine Fighter Assault Squadron (VMFA) 214. The F-35B Lightning II is changing the AV-8B Harrier to introduce unmatched capabilities to the Marine Corps. The F-35B Lightning II represents a leap ahead in air dominance by offering the operational agility and tactical supremacy Marines want to supply expeditious and deadly help. third MAW continues to “Repair, Fly and Struggle” because the Marine Corps’ largest plane wing and stays combat-ready, deployable on brief discover, and deadly when known as into motion.
“The F-35’s fifth-generation strike fighter functionality brings extra lethality and suppleness to combatant commanders than some other fighter platform,” stated U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Christopher Kelly, the commanding officer of VMFA- 214. “The STO/VL functionality inherent within the F-35 “B” variant permits the Marine Corps to function expeditiously and from distant places, making the mannequin uniquely certified at supporting expeditionary superior base operations.”
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“Having beforehand served in VMA-214 and flown the AV-8B for a few years, the Black Sheep and the Harrier maintain a particular place in my coronary heart,” stated U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Bradford J. Gering, the commanding basic of third Marine Plane Wing. “As third MAW says a bittersweet farewell to the Harrier, we’re excited to extend our variety of F-35B squadrons with the re-designation of VMFA-214.”
“The re-designation of VMA-214 to VMFA-214 is the top of a legacy for the Black Sheep and Marine Plane Group-13. This symbolic occasion finalizes the sunset for Harriers on the West Coast and closes the chapter on 58 years of assault plane operations for the Black Sheep. Ending this mission with a profitable eleventh Marine Expeditionary Unit deployment is a testomony to the viability and efficiency of the Harrier during the last 33 years and, extra importantly, the expertise of the Marines who managed them. The AV-8B can be missed within the skies of Yuma, however it’s time to transition to the following era of fighter assault plane.,” stated U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Keith Bucklew, the outgoing commander of VMA-214.
VMA-214 was initially commissioned as Marine Fighter Squadron (VMF) 214 on July 1, 1942, on Oahu, Hawaii, flying the F4F Wildcat earlier than transitioning to the F4U-1 Corsair. The squadron accomplished two fight excursions below the earlier call-sign “Swashbucklers” earlier than reforming because the “Black Sheep” below the management of U.S. Marine Corps Main Gregory “Pappy” Boyington in August 1943. The Marines of VMF-214 chosen the brand new squadron namesake to focus on the pilots’ different expertise ranges. From seasoned veterans with a number of fight excursions below their wings to pilots recent from flight college, the Black Sheep constructed their legacy from years of arduous combating in World Conflict II. On account of their accomplishments, VMF-214 grew to become the primary Marine fighter squadron awarded the Presidential Unit Quotation for extraordinary heroism in motion.
On July 9, 1957, the squadron was re-designated VMA-214 because the Black Sheep transitioned to flying fixed-wing assault plane. In Vietnam, the Marines of VMA-214 distinguished themselves as an assault squadron, flying the reliable A-4 Skyhawk from expeditionary airfields in Chu Lai. The Black Sheep continued to fly the A-4 till 1989, once they transitioned to the AV-8B Harrier. Over the following 30 years, the Black Sheep participated in fight operations all through the globe, together with Operation Restore Hope, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Most not too long ago, VMA-214 accomplished its last AV-8B deployment with the eleventh Marine Expeditionary Unit, throughout which they participated in Operation Inherent Resolve.
