UNIT REPORT // VMFA-112
Riding shotgun with the US Marine Corps’ sole reserve component fighter squadron — VMFA-112 ‘Cowboys’.
IN THE 1970s and 1980s, the US Marine Corps’ aviation component was in the midst of transitioning from third-generation tactical air (TACAIR) platforms such as the A-4 Skyhawk and F-4 Phantom II to newer AV-8B Harrier IIs and F/A-18 Hornets, which are now, in turn, making way for F-35s. As the switch occurred, sufficient surplus A-4s and F-4s became available to equip multiple squadrons in what was then known as the US Marine Corps Reserve. When the old airframes finally timed-out, and with early Hornets being superseded by newer variants on the front line, the reserve squadrons either disestablished, or converted to the F/A-18.
Today, Marine Forces Reserve (MFR) retains just a single TACAIR squadron — the ‘Cowboys’ of Marine Fighter-Attack Squadron 112 (VMFA-112). Stationed at NAS Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) Fort Worth in north-central Texas, the ‘Cowboys’ currently fly a mix of McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A++ and F/A-18B Hornets. Explaining VMFA-112’s role, commanding officer Lt Col Chris ‘STAP’ Holloway told Combat Aircraft, ‘The analogy is that we are the shock-absorber. If t…
