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Scramble 467
the recent past with two projects evaluating light-attack
turboprop aircraft, the A-29 and the OV-10G+ Bronco.
The A-29 was evaluated in Project Imminent Fury but plans to
deploy it under a project called Combat Dragon to Southwest
Asia were canceled due to opposition by some members of
Congress. A follow-on, Project Combat Dragon II, deployed
the OV-10G+s, which were modified former Vietnam-era
Broncos of the types used by the Marine Corps, Air Force and
Navy. Luckily for the A-29 programme, the US DoD has full
access to the A-29 in an operational environment as it is in
use by the heavily US supported Afghan Air Force.
The USMC announced during a testimony early March that
they evaluate turboprop platforms. Currently, the light
attack platform is the AH-1Z, which can carry sixteen Hell-
fires. They are happy with the physics of what a helicop-
ter can do, but they have to explore further. The one thing
the USMC always have to consider when it connects to the
National Defense Strategy is, can a turbo-prop platform self-
deploy, has it a sufficient survivability, is it cheaper to field
and operate than a tactical jet, is it efficient effective and can
it go aboard a ship. The final thing is, as to whether the USMC
can afford the two categories of attack aircraft. Of course, the
USMC has a well-known history in operating the light attack/
Counter insurgency aircraft, the Rockwell OV-10 Bronco, an
asset that is apparently missed.
United States Marine Corps unit news
Marine Force Atlantic (MARFORLANT)
It was expected that the USMC deployed their EA-6B Prowlers
for the last time during 2017. From October 2016 to April
2017, Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VMAQ) 2
Death Jesters (‘CY-xx’) was present at Incirlik airbase, Turkey.
They were relieved at this location by VMAQ-3 Moon Dogs
(‘MD-xx’) from April to December 2017. Unexpectedly, a
new deployment started late March 2018 with the arrival
of six Cadillacs at Lajes Field on 24 March 2018. The six EA-
6Bs involved are: 163045/CY-00, 162934/CY-01, 162230/02,
163032/03, 162228/MD-01 and 163047/CY-05.
They left Lajes on 26 March 2018 for Souda (Crete) and then for
unknown (to us) location in the CENTCOM area of operations.
This could be Incirlik which is a deployment location that is
often used in the past by the Prowlers. But deployments also
went to Al Udeid (Qatar) and Bagram airbase (Afghanistan).
As you can see, coded and non-coded aircraft of VMAQ-2
and VMAQ-3 were reported at Lajes Field. Both squadrons
are based at MCAS Cherry Point (NC). As VMAQ-3 is slated
for deactivation this year, it is expected that all aviators and
aircraft of this new deployment are assigned to VMAQ-2 and
the uncoded and CY-coded aircraft were just transferred to
VMAQ-2 before the deployment started. The Death Jesters are
expected to be deactivated on 1 October 2018, so this is most
probably their very last deployment. If the deployment takes
the usual six months, the squadron will be deactivated almost
directly after return at Cherry Point.
Marine Force Pacific (MARFORPAC)
The AH-1W Super Cobra were stationed at MCAF Kaneohe
Bay, MCB Hawaii (HI) as a part of Marine Light Attack
Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 367 Scarface (‘ VT-xx’) since
- With the introduction of the newest variant of the
aircraft, the AH-1Z Viper, the Whiskey models took flight
for one last time with HMLA-367 on 13 March 2018. Two
out of the eight AH-1Ws located on MCBH were flown for a
counter clockwise flight around the island of Oahu. HMLA-
367 received its first three AH-1Zs in December 2017 to
begin replacing the AH-1Ws. Out of the eight AH-1Ws with
HMLA-367, three will stay on the island of Oahu as static
displays. The other five will be transported by strategic
airlift to the 309th Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration
Group (AMARG) at Davis Monthan (AZ) for storage. These
helicopters are probably offered for sale in the US Foreign
Military Sales (FMS) programme. The squadron will continue
to maintain and fly the UH-1Y Venom helicopters and new
AH-1Zs as well as continue sending aircraft to augment the
31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Okinawa (Japan) and the
Marine Rotational Force in Darwin (Australia).
The US Marine Corps F-35B began its first operational ship-
board deployment on 19 March 2018. A six-aircraft detach-
ment of Marine Fighter-Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 Green
Knights (‘VK-xx’) from MCAS Iwakuni (Japan) embarked the
amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) as it began its
spring patrol in the Western Pacific. The Wasp Expedition-
ary Strike Group (ESG), with the 31st Marine Expeditionary
Group embarked, started a routine patrol of the Indo-Pacific
region. The six Lightning IIs, arrived on the ship on 5 March,
but the deployment started officially on the 19th. The Avia-
tion Combat Element (ACE) is formed around VMM-265 Rein-
forced and looks like:
VMM-265 Dragons MV-22B ‘EP-xx’
HMH-466 Det Wolfpack CH-53E (‘YK-xx’)
HMLA-369 Det Gunfighters AH-1Z/UH-1Y (‘SM-xx’)
VMFA-121 Det Green Knights F-35B ‘VK-xx’
HSC-25 Det.6 Island Knights MH-60S ‘RB-xx’
The Seahawk detachment belongs to the ship, rather than to
the ACE. The reinforced helicopter squadron carry the EP-
tailcode of VMM-265, while the first pictures of the F-35Bs
revealed that they continue to use their VK-tailcode. Usually,
the AV-8Bs took over the tailcode of the V-22 squadron
during the deployment.
AH-1Z
166774/QT-609 HMLA/T-303 ex YX-44/VMM-166 59009 mar18
167810/SN-44 HMLA-169 ex SM-44/HMLA-369 59011 mar18
168002/SE-43 HMLA-469 ex UV-32/HMLA-267 59014 mar18
168003/SN HMLA-169 ex SM-43/HMLA-369 59015 mar18
168423/QT-641 HMLA/T-303 ex nmks 59201 mar18
168424/QT-642 HMLA/T-303 ex nmks 59202 mar18
168521/SE HMLA-469 ex SN-45/HMLA-169 59035 mar18
168524/SN-53 HMLA-169 ex YP-42/VMM-163 59203 mar18
168805/SN HMLA-169 ex SM-51/HMLA-369 59213 mar18
168959/SE HMLA-469 ex SN-52/HMLA-169 59216 mar18
168960/SE HMLA-469 ex QT-657/HMLA/T-303 59217 mar18
168961/SM-47 HMLA-369 ex SN-47/HMLA-169 59218 jan18
168964/QT-661 HMLA/T-303 ex nmks 59221 mar18
168967/SN HMLA-169 ex YR-40/VMM-161 59224 mar18
168968/SN HMLA-169 ex SM-49/HMLA-369 59225 mar18
169088/YX-40 VMM-166 ex nmks 59229 mar18
169090/YX-41 VMM-166 f/n 59231 mar18
169251/YX-43 VMM-166 f/n 59244 mar18
169253/UV-52 HMLA-267 f/n 59246 mar18
169254/UV-55 HMLA-267 f/n 59247 mar18
169255/SN HMLA-169 f/n 59248 mar18
169257/UV-56 HMLA-169 f/n 59250 mar18
169260/QT-692 HMLA/T-303 f/n 59253 mar18
CH-53E
161381 FRCSW ex YN-43/HMH-361 65-438 mar18
161387/387 nmks ex YF-22/HMH-462 65-444 mar18
161997/YF-21 HMH-462 ex YF-12 65-474 mar18
162003 nmks ex YN-56/HMH-361 65-480 mar18
162010/HH-08 HMH-366 ex FRCE 65-487 mar18
162482/YX-23 VMM-166 ex YN-51/HMH-361 65-494 mar18
162488/YN-04 HMH-361 ex YK-04/HMH-466 65-500 mar18
162518/YF-518 HMH-462 ex YJ-52/HMH-465 65-530 mar18
162523/YJ HMH-465 ex YK-42/HMH-466 65-535 mar18
163077/YJ-077 HMH-465 ex YJ-26/HMH-465 65-568 mar18
164359/YF-359 HMH-462 ex YR-2./VMM-161 65-584 mar18
164361/YJ-361 HMH-465 ex YJ-37 65-589 mar18
164362/YX-22 VMM-166 ex 45/HMH-361 65-590 mar18
164776/YF-776 HMH-462 ex YF-30 65-600 mar18
164860/YJ-860 HMH-465 ex YF-33/HMH-462 65-636 mar18
165245/YF-25 FRCSW ex YJ-56/HMH-465 65-639 mar18
Good news for number crunchers, it seems more and more
