Marine squadron conducts its final Harrier flight in switch to F-35
A Marine Attack Squadron has flown its final Harrier flight and is set for official deactivation in September at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.
The Marine Attack Squadron VMA 231, known as the 'Ace of Spades,' flew its final AV-8B Harrier II flight May 29, according to a Marine release.
'Today is not a sad day,' Lt. Col. Paul Truog, current commanding officer of VMA-231, said in the release. 'This is a momentous day for Marine aviation. It's a day that we're going to celebrate.'
The squadron will transition to the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, a fifth generation fighter jet.
'Everybody knows that VMA-231 is transitioning to F-35s. The Wing, the [Marine Aircraft Group], and the squadron are going to be more capable of responding to any crisis,' Truog said in his remarks. 'But that capability is not just because it's our most technically advanced weapons system. That capability is because of the Marines and the pilots that, in record amounts, raise their hands saying, 'I want to continue on, I want to keep moving forward.''
What Marine Corps aviation has in store over the next five years
The Corps expects to have a full-fifth generation fleet in their tactical aircraft by 2030.
The Harrier is one of two jets that the F-35 is replacing. It is slated to fly until 2027. The other aircraft is the F/A-18 Hornet, which is expected to fly until 2030, when all F-35s are expected to be operational.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron, VMFA 542, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, also at Cherry Point, received its first F-35B in May 2023 and reached initial operational capability with the aircraft in February 2024.
Once the unit reaches full operational capability, it will contain six squadrons with 10 planes per squadron. But that number could increase, depending on future mission requirements, basing and funding.
The F-35B is a short-takeoff and vertical-landing variant of the aircraft. The F-35C is a long-range jet.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron, VMFA 314, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Air Wing at Miramar, California, reached full operational capability with its F-35C in July 2021 — the first unit to do so among all military branches.
The squadron deployed aboard ship the following year, supporting all 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and West Coast MEU deployments.
In 2022, the Corps set procurement goals of 353 F-35B and 67 F-35C for a total of 420 aircraft at a rate of roughly 20 per year.
Those aircraft will eventually fill out a planned 18 active component squadrons across the Corps.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
How Trump has targeted Harvard's international students — and what the latest court ruling means
President Donald Trump and his administration have tried several tactics to block Harvard University's enrollment of international students, part of the White House's effort to secure policy changes at the private, Ivy League college. Targeting foreign students has become the administration's cornerstone effort to crack down on the nation's oldest and wealthiest college. The block on international enrollment, which accounts for a quarter of Harvard's students and much of its global allure, strikes at the core of Harvard's identity. Courts have stopped some of the government's actions, at least for now — but not all. In the latest court order, a federal judge on Friday put one of those efforts on hold until a lawsuit is resolved. But the fate of Harvard's international students — and its broader standoff with the Trump administration — remain in limbo. Here are all the ways the Trump administration has moved to block Harvard's foreign enrollment — and where each effort stands. Homeland Security tries to revoke Harvard's certification to host foreign students In May, the Trump administration tried to ban foreign students at Harvard, citing the Department of Homeland Security's authority to oversee which colleges are part of the Student Exchange and Visitor Program. The program allows colleges to issue documents that foreign students need to study in the United States. Harvard filed a lawsuit, arguing the administration violated the government's own regulations for withdrawing a school's certification. Within hours, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston put the administration's ban on hold temporarily — an order that had an expiration date. On Friday, she issued a preliminary injunction, blocking Homeland Security's move until the case is decided. That could take months or longer. The government can and does remove colleges from the Student Exchange and Visitor Program, making them ineligible to host foreign students on their campus. However, it's usually for administrative reasons outlined in law, such as failing to maintain accreditation, lacking proper facilities for classes, failing to employ qualified professional personnel — even failing to 'operate as a bona fide institution of learning.' Other colleges are removed when they close. Notably, Burroughs' order Friday said the federal government still has authority to review Harvard's ability to host international students through normal processes outlined in law. After Burroughs' emergency block in May, DHS issued a more typical 'Notice of Intent to Withdraw' Harvard's participation in the international student visa program. 'Today's order does not affect the DHS's ongoing administrative review,' Harvard said Friday in a message to its international students. 'Harvard is fully committed to compliance with the applicable F-1 (student visa) regulations and strongly opposes any effort to withdraw the University's certification.' Trump has sought to ban U.S. entry for incoming Harvard students Earlier this month, Trump himself moved to block entry to the United States for incoming Harvard students, issuing a proclamation that invoked a different legal authority. Harvard filed a court challenge attacking Trump's legal justification for the action — a federal law allowing him to block a 'class of aliens' deemed detrimental to the nation's interests. Targeting only those who are coming to the U.S. to study at Harvard doesn't qualify as a 'class of aliens,' Harvard said in its filing. Harvard's lawyers asked the court to block the action. Burroughs agreed to pause the entry ban temporarily, without giving an expiration date. She has not yet ruled on Harvard's request for another preliminary injunction, which would pause the ban until the court case is decided. 'We expect the judge to issue a more enduring decision in the coming days,' Harvard told international students Friday. At the center of Trump's pressure campaign against Harvard are his assertions that the school has tolerated anti-Jewish harassment, especially during pro-Palestinian protests. In seeking to keep Harvard students from coming to the U.S., he said Harvard is not a suitable destination. Harvard President Alan Garber has said the university has made changes to combat antisemitism and will not submit to the administration's demands for further changes. The administration has stepped up scrutiny of Harvard scholars' and students' visas In late May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed U.S. embassies and consulates to start reviewing social media accounts of visa applicants who plan to attend, work at or visit Harvard University for any signs of antisemitism. On Wednesday, the State Department said it was launching new vetting of social media accounts for foreigners applying for student visas, and not just those seeking to attend Harvard. Consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages that could be deemed hostile to the United States, its government, culture, institutions or founding principles, the department said, telling visa applicants to set their social media accounts to 'public.' In reopening the visa process, the State Department also told consulates to prioritize students hoping to enroll at colleges where foreigners make up less than 15% of the student body, a U.S. official familiar with the matter said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to detail information that has not been made public. Foreign students make up more than 15% of the total student body at almost 200 U.S. universities — including Harvard and the other Ivy League schools, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal education data from 2023. Most are private universities, including all eight Ivy League schools. Some Harvard students are also caught up in the government's recent ban against travel to the U.S. by citizens of 12 nations, mostly in Africa and the Middle East. The Trump administration last weekend called for 36 additional countries to commit to improving vetting of travelers or face a ban on their citizens visiting the United States. International students make up half the students at some Harvard programs Harvard sponsors more than 7,000 people on a combination of F-1 and J-1 visas, which are issued to students and to foreigners visiting the U.S. on exchange programs such as fellowships. Across all the schools that make up the university, about 26% of the student body is from outside the U.S. But some schools and programs, by nature of their subject matter, have significantly more international students. At the Harvard Kennedy School, which covers public policy and public administration, 49% of students are on F-1 visas. In the business school, one-third of students come from abroad. And within the law school, 94% of the students in the master's program in comparative law are international students. The administration has imposed a range of sanctions on Harvard since it rejected the government's demands for policy reforms related to campus protests, admissions, hiring and more. Conservatives say the demands are merited, decrying Harvard as a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism. Harvard says the administration is illegally retaliating against the university. ____
5 hours ago
Houston Marine veteran says neighbor shouted racial slurs, tried to run him over
A 64-year-old Houston man is facing second-degree felony charges after allegedly attempting to run over his neighbor while shouting racial slurs, according to Houston police. Jesse Ruffer, 64, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following the incident on Winsome Lane in West Houston, police said. The alleged confrontation occurred Monday afternoon after Blaine McShaw, a Marine veteran, said he briefly stepped off the sidewalk to avoid a puddle, according to Houston ABC station KTRK-TV. "I walked out in the street just enough around a parked car," McShaw told KTRK. "This gentleman like swerved really close to me." According to McShaw, Ruffer then allegedly threatened him with racial slurs, stating, "If you want to walk in the street ... I'll run you down." McShaw said he remained calm during the incident and contacted law enforcement instead of engaging with the suspect. "I was just more taken aback by the fact that he actually said that after trying to literally run me over in a car," McShaw said. During a bail hearing, prosecutor Christine Huang requested a bond of $51,000, citing the use of a vehicle as a deadly weapon and the defendant's previous arrest warrant from 2022 for a terroristic threat charge. "This is indicative of his violent propensity," Huang told the court. Ruffer's public defender argued for a lower $15,000 bond, noting that her client was a lifetime Houston resident who had lived at his current address for 38 years. She emphasized that this was Ruffer's first arrest and that he had no criminal history. The judge set the bond at $20,000 and imposed several conditions, including no contact with McShaw and that he remain within the Houston area. The judge also ordered Ruffer to stay at least 200 feet away from McShaw's home and work addresses. In the 2022 case, Ruffer is accused of calling his Arab neighbor a terrorist and threatening to kill both the neighbor and the man's dog, according to KTRK. Court records show he received a general order bond in that case. If convicted of the current charge, Ruffer could face up to 20 years in prison, according to Houston police.
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Pro-Palestinian activists break into UK's biggest air base in startling security breach
Advertisement In a statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident 'disgraceful,' saying: 'Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.' Palestine Action has carried out a series of acts of vandalism at high-profile and supposedly secure locations, including defense manufacturers. Thames Valley Police, the force responsible for the area, said in a statement that officers were working with the Ministry of Defense and the RAF to investigate. Inquiries 'are ongoing to locate and arrest those responsible,' the force noted. In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said, 'We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets. We are working closely with the police who are investigating.' Advertisement The ministry did not immediately respond to a question on whether it would open a review of security at the site. Grant Shapps, a former British defense secretary, wrote on social media that there needed to be a 'full security review.' 'Storming an RAF base isn't protest — it's a national security breach,' he wrote. 'The blame lies squarely with these reckless activists, but ministers must now explain how on earth it was allowed to happen.' In its statement Friday, Palestine Action claimed the targeted planes 'can carry military cargo and are used to refuel' military aircraft, including fighter jets, from the British and Israeli militaries. But Greg Bagwell, a former senior RAF commander and a fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said the planes damaged by the group were incompatible with Israeli fighter aircraft and could not be used to refuel them. 'They couldn't have gotten a more wrong aircraft,' he said in an interview. 'They have targeted aircraft that are not the aircraft they think they are.' The Israeli air force flies American-built fighter planes such as the F-15, the F-16, and the F-35A, Bagwell said, all of which can only be fueled with a boom-style method that is not used by the planes that were damaged Friday. Palestine Action has previously conducted vandalism and protests at sites in Britain that are operated by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems and at companies with links to that firm, and also at other defense companies. Several activists have been prosecuted over the protests, including five people who were imprisoned last year for causing about $1.3 million of damage to a weapons equipment factory in Glasgow, Scotland, in June 2022. Advertisement Britain's largest RAF base, Brize Norton houses about 5,800 service personnel, 300 civilian staff members, and 1,200 contractors. Bagwell said he believed many military bases around the world were vulnerable to the kind of intrusion the group made Friday. 'Airfields are large pieces of real estate that have miles of fence line,' he said. 'It's not an easy piece of territory to protect everywhere. Anybody with a wire cutter or ladders could be able to get in.' Adding more human protection or electronic monitoring along every part of a major military base like Brize Norton would be very expensive. But Bagwell said officials needed to take the risk seriously. He said the breach showed that it would not have been difficult for terrorists or agents of a foreign government to have done something more sinister at the base. 'It was exactly the sort of activity that the likes of Russia and Iran would like to promote,' he said. 'This time it was a protester, but next time it could be someone who was doing something on behalf of others.' This article originally appeared in
