VMFA-242
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 | |
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F-35B Lightning II |
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 (VMFA-242) is a
History
World War II
Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 242 (VMTB-242) was commissioned on 1 July 1943 at
During WWII, Warner Brothers and Disney designed many patches for military units, including one for VMTB-242 with Bugs Bunny riding a torpedo.[4]
Reactivation
On 1 October 1960 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina the squadron was reactivated as Marine Attack Squadron 242 flying the A4D Skyhawk.[5] During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, VMA-242 deployed to Naval Air Station Key West, Florida and maintained a ready posture until the Soviet withdrawal of offensive weapons from Cuba. In September 1963, VMA-242 embarked for duty with the 1st MAW. The squadron operated from MCAS Iwakuni, Japan until its return to MCAS Cherry Point in September 1964, at which time it transitioned to the A-6A Intruder and was redesignated VMA(AW)-242. The transition training was conducted by VA-42, the East Coast A-6 Fleet Replacement Squadron at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. Advance teams of key VMA-242 personnel, began arriving at Oceana in the summer of 1963. They were the second line squadron to fly the A-6A after VA-75.
Vietnam War
In late 1966, VMA(AW)-242 joined the 1st MAW at
Post-Vietnam and the 1980s
VMA(AW)-242 arrived at
During August 1983, VMA(AW)-242 was the first Marine squadron to deploy to the African continent as part of Operation Eastern Wind in Berbera, Somalia. While in country, they conducted joint operations with the Somali Army Air Defense Force and the United States Navy and Air Force.
In April 1984 and November 1985, the squadron participated in its third and fourth UDP deployments to the Western Pacific. Returning to MCAS El Toro in May 1986, the squadron was awarded the Lawson H. M. Sanderson trophy as the Marine Corps Attack Squadron of the Year for 1986. In April 1987, the squadron made their fifth WestPac UDP deployment. October 1988 saw VMA(AW)-242 redeploy to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan for the sixth and final WestPac UDP with the A-6E Intruder.
1990s
In August 1990, the squadron initially deployed as part of MAG-70 in Operation Desert Shield but got no further than MCAS Cherry Point for a few days in August 1990. Ten aircraft were flown to MCAS Cherry Point with the intent to trade four 3-G limited aircraft for unlimited aircraft from VMA(AW)-224 so that the squadron would have ten aircraft that were not impacted by the wing fatigue limitation program. However, at the last minute, it was decided to not deploy the squadron. All the squadron's aircraft were transferred to USMC and USN squadrons, and they returned to El Toro to begin transitioning to the F/A-18D Hornet a month earlier than originally planned.
On 14 December 1990, VMA(AW)-242 was re-designated as Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, and began conversion to the F/A-18D Hornet. VMFA(AW)-242 received its first aircraft in February 1991 with the final Hornet being accepted in August of that year. It was during the transition to the F/A-18D that the squadron adopted its motto, "Mors ex tenebris."
The Global War on Terror
From 4 August 2004 to 18 March 2005, the squadron supported the
Due to a re-organization within Marine aviation, VMFA(AW)-242 moved from MAG-11 at MCAS Miramar to MAG-12 in its current home at MCAS Iwakuni in 2008.[7]
2020s
On 16 October 2020, the squadron was re-designated as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 (VMFA-242) after its transition from the F/A-18D Hornet to the F-35B Lightning II.[8] On 3 October 2021, two aircraft from the squadron operated from the flight deck of the Japanese carrier JS Izumo. The aircraft were testing newly completed modifications to the Izumo that allow it to operate F-35s, and it marked the first time since WWII that fixed-wing aircraft have operated off a Japanese warship. [9]
In popular culture
An A-6A Intruder from VMA(AW)-242 was featured in the 1974 film The Disappearance of Flight 412. The aircraft (side number 8) can be seen taxiing for an alert launch. Shots from inside the cockpit show the Bombardier/Navigator (BN) and also the refueling probe. This was another case of multiple aircraft being used for one: A-6 taxiing and flying (inside the cockpit), F-4 Phantom IIs taking off, and F9F Panthers flying (external shots).
VMA(AW)-242 was the subject of a ProPublica investigation, "Faulty Equipment, Lapsed Training, Repeated Warnings: How a Preventable Disaster Killed Six Marines," primarily focussing on a fatal accident in December 2018.[10] The story was part of a package of investigative articles on the Navy and Marines which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2020.
See also
Citations
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
- ^ "1st Marine Aircraft Wing Notablecommanders ltcol Andy SOLUM > Subordinate Units > Marine Aircraft Group 12 > VMFA - 242". www.1stmaw.marines.mil. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ a b c Sherrod 1952, pp. 465.
- ^ Rottman 2002, pp. 443.
- ^ Brown, David (30 October 2016). "5 Unit Patches Originally Designed by Walt Disney". ClearanceJobs.
- ^ Index for 1960 United States Marine Corps Bound Diaries. Series: Index to Muster Rolls, 1949 - 1977. United States Marine Corps. p. 23. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
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- ^ LtGen John Castellaw (2007). "2007 Marine Aviation Plan" (PDF). Headquarters Marine Corps. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2007.
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(help) - ^ "SECOND F-35B SQUADRON OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED IN INDO-PACIFIC REGION WITH THE REDESIGNATION OF VMFA-242". marines.mil. United States Marine Corps. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ^ Mahadzir, Dzirhan (5 October 2021). "VIDEO: Japan's Largest Warship Launches U.S. Marine F-35s; First Fighters to Fly from Japanese Ship Since WWII". news.usni.org. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Faturechi, Robert; Rose, Megan; Miller, T. Christian. "Faulty Equipment, Lapsed Training, Repeated Warnings: How a Preventable Disaster Killed Six Marines". ProPublica. Pro Publica Inc. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
References
- Bibliography
- Rottman, Gordon (2002). U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle - Ground and Air Units in the Pacific War, 1939 - 1945. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31906-5.
- Sherrod, Robert (1952). History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press. ISBN 0-89201-048-7.
- Web