ARLINGTON, VA. — An Oct. 15 ceremony marked the deactivation of Marine Attack Squadron 311 (VMA-311), an AV-8B Harrier II squadron at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, as the squadron shifted some assets to merge with sister squadron…
Marine Corps Retires its Last AH-1W Super Cobra Helicopters
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Marine Corps has officially retired the Bell AH-1W “Super Cobra” from their ranks after 34 years of dependable service, Bell Textron, the helicopter’s builder, said in an Oct. 19 release. The last detachment of AH-1Ws to…
Marine Corps Assistant Commandant Tests Positive for COVID
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Assistant Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Gen. Gary Thomas, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19, according to the Marine Corps. Thomas, who tested positive Oct. 7, had been self-quarantining since Oct. 6, when he…
AeroVironment Unveils Improved Version of Switchblade One-Way Attack Drone
ARLINGTON, Va. — Unmanned aircraft maker AeroVironment has developed a bigger, badder version of Switchblade, its man-portable, tube-launched, loitering small aerial missile system. The Switchblade 600 has greater capabilities for engaging larger, hardened targets with multi-purpose anti-armor ammunition at longer distances…
Marine Corps F-35B, KC-130J Collide in Mid-Air
ARLINGTON, Va. — A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II strike fighter collided with a Marine Corps KC-130J Super Hercules tanker/transport aircraft over Southern California on Sept. 29, resulting in the loss of the F-35B and a crash landing of the…
Future War in the Pacific? Think Guadalcanal, Marine Corps Planners Say
ARLINGTON, Va. — The challenge a peer competitor like China poses in a future conflict across the Indo-Pacific region bears striking similarities to the war between the United States and Japan in the same battlespace more than 75 years ago, say…
Berger: Marine Corps Needs More Diversity — In Amphibious Ships
ARLINGTON, Va. — The commandant of the Marine Corps said the Corps needs the Navy to broaden its family of amphibious warfare ships to create a more distributed, survivable force to operate in a future high-intensity conflict with a peer…
Marine Corps ‘Monster Machine’ Enters Full-Rate Production
QUANTICO, Va. — A Marine Corps vehicle designed to transport International Standards Organization containers to supply Fleet Marines just reached a key acquisition milestone. The Rough Terrain Container Handler moves 20-to-40-foot ISO containers and shelters on rough terrain, beaches and other surfaces…
HMS Queen Elizabeth Embarks U.K., USMC F-35Bs for Major Exercise
LONDON — HMS Queen Elizabeth has embarked the largest number of warplanes ever onto her deck as she prepares to take her place at the heart of a U.K.-led NATO Carrier Strike Group, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said in a Sept….
Marine Corps Fields New Service-Wide Pistol
QUANTICO, Va. — For the first time since former President Ronald Reagan’s Administration, the Marine Corps is fielding a new service-wide pistol replacement. The M18 comprises capabilities previous pistols lacked. For example, the M9 — the most widely issued pistol among…