US Marine Corps (USMC)

Pentagon clears Osprey flight operations to resume

The Pentagon has cleared all three variants of the V-22 Osprey to return to flight after what has been a three-month grounding. US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) initially grounded its CV-22B fleet after the fatal loss of an aircraft on November 29, 2023, before US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) grounded the rest of the US Osprey force

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Pentagon unveils $850bn FY25 budget request and eyes further aircraft retirements

Released on March 11, the $849.8bn FY25 President’s Budget for the US Department of Defense (DOD) represents an increase of $7.8bn in spending when compared to the FY24 base request. The $167.6bn procurement budget includes $61.2bn for new military aircraft and related systems

US Marine Corps Hornets deploy to Norway

Hornets from the US Marine Corps’ VMFA-312 ‘Checkerboards’ have touched down at Andøya Air Station in Norway.

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VIDEO: US Marine Corps F-35s arrive in Norway for Exercise Nordic Response

US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning IIs of VMFA-542 ‘Tigers’ have landed in Norway to take part in Exercise Nordic Response 24.

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First US fighter ace since Vietnam emerges in Red Sea conflict

As the skies over the Red Sea grow more volatile in light of recent attacks on international shipping in the region from Houthi-backed militants in Yemen, Capt Earl Ehrhart V – a USMC AV-8B Harrier II pilot – has intercepted and shot down seven confirmed Houthi drones since December 2023, becoming the first American fighter ace since the end of the Vietnam War

USMC’s first East Coast F-35B unit declared operational

The USMC formally declared its first East Coast-based F-35B Lightning II squadron operational when Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542 (VMFA-542) ‘Tigers’ – a component of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) – achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) at MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina on February 5

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Global V-22 Osprey fleet grounded following fatal crash in Japan

A USAF-operated CV-22B Osprey was lost off Yakushima Island, Japan, on November 29, killing all eight airmen on board and resulting in a global operational stand-down of the tiltrotor

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Evolution of the ‘Sharpshooters’: Training USMC pilots to fly the Hornet

Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 (VMFAT-101) was formally stood down at MCAS Miramar, California, on September 29. Joe Copalman  looks back at the evolution of the USMC’s iconic ‘Sharpshooters’

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USMC’s legacy Hornet-equipped ‘Silver Eagles’ stand down

The USMC moved another step closer to phasing out its legacy Hornet fleet on November 9, when Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 (VMFA-115) was deactivated at MCAS Beaufort in South Carolina

USMC’s first XQ-58A Valkyrie takes flight at Eglin AFB

The first of two XQ-58A Valkyrie UCAVs for the USMC successfully completed its first test flight at Eglin AFB, Florida, on October 2, closely followed by an F-16CM Fighting Falcon (88-0441/ET) from the 40th Flight Test Squadron – a component of the USAF’s 96th Test Wing – that was flying as the ‘chase’ aircraft