RAAF C-17 assists USMC in HIRAIN training mission

The U.S. Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) has carried out its first HIMARS Rapid Infiltration (HIRAIN) training mission with the help of a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-17.

U.S. Marines with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems platoon, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin drive a HIMARS off of a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft after a combat landing during Exercise Loobye at Bradshaw Field Training Area, NT, Australia, Aug. 12, 2021. HIMARS were loaded onto the C-17 at RAAF Darwin and flown to BFTA as part of a HIMARS rapid infiltration demonstration during a bilateral exercise with MRF-D and the Australian Defence Force. Exercises like Loobye demonstrate MRF-D’s ability to conduct operations as a joint force with the ADF, execute expeditionary operations, like HIRAIN, and exemplify their mutual dedication to being postured and ready to respond to a crisis or contingency in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Master Sgt. Sarah Nadeau)

Continue reading “RAAF C-17 assists USMC in HIRAIN training mission”

POTUS will soon travel onboard VH-92

The president of the United States (POTUS) will soon be traveling onboard the VH-92 Marine One helicopter, Maj. Gen. Gregory Masiello, program executive officer for air anti-submarine warfare, assault, and special mission programs, said at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space conference.

Sikorsky VH-92 lands in front of the White House during tests on 22 September 2018 (180922-M-ZY870-531)
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Hunter Helis [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Continue reading “POTUS will soon travel onboard VH-92”

F-35B landed at Kadena Air Base with gun pod issue

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B landed at Kadena Air Base around 1:10 p.m. local time on Jul. 26 and the jet taxied to one corner with issues over its gun pod.

LtCol Joseph Freshour, the commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, accelerates as he prepares to launch from the deck of Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Queen Elizabeth armed with a Gun Pod Unit (GPU) – 9/A, at sea on 28 September, 2020. Freshour became the first F-35B Joint Strike Fighter pilot to fly from the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth while carrying a GPU. This milestone continues VMFA-211’s preparation for the United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group global deployment.

Continue reading “F-35B landed at Kadena Air Base with gun pod issue”