US Marines reactivate oldest flying squadron with F-35Bs after 52 years of Harrier jump jet operations.

On October 9, 2026, the United States Marine Corps officially activated Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 231 (VMFA-231) as its tenth operational F-35B Lightning II unit during a ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. This milestone completes the USMC's oldest flying squadron’s operational transition from the AV-8B Harrier II, replacing legacy vertical/short-takeoff platform capabilities with fifth-generation low-observable technology. The modernization enhances II Marine Expeditionary Force capabilities by integrating stealth strikes, beyond-visual-range air combat, and advanced electronic warfare into expeditionary maritime operations.

Compared to the AV-8B Harrier II, the F-35B allows U.S. Marine squadrons to fly faster and farther, evade enemy radars, and attack more heavily defended targets while still operating from amphibious ships and short runways. (Picture source: US DoD)

On October 9, 2026, the U.S. Marine Corps officially transitioned its oldest flying squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 231 (VMFA-231), from the AV-8B Harrier II jump jet to the F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, after 52 years of Harrier operations. Established on February 8, 1919, VMFA-231 has participated in conflicts from Nicaragua and Guadalcanal to the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and now becomes the Marine Corps' tenth operational F-35B squadron toward a planned force of twelve. Lieutenant Colonel Spencer S. Waters assumed command of the squadron, which belongs to Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and II Marine Expeditionary Force.

The transition expands its missions beyond close air support and interdiction to include stealth strikes, beyond-visual-range air combat, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare while retaining the ability to operate from amphibious assault ships and expeditionary airfields. VMA-231 completed its final AV-8B flight on May 29, 2025, before deactivation later that year and reconstitution as VMFA-231. Its first F-35B arrived in May 2026, followed by additional aircraft on August 12, enabling the establishment of new maintenance procedures, ground training, and local flight operations. The squadron obtained its Safe for Flight certification in August and conducted further taxiing, landing, and flight-line operations on September 23. During the October 9 activation ceremony, MAG-14 commander Colonel Arthur Q. Bruggeman transferred command responsibility to Lieutenant Colonel Waters.

Related topic: U.S. Marine Corps to retire last AV-8B Harrier II jet in June 2026 as F-35B takes over

Its first deployment for training is planned for late October, ahead of its future Initial Operational Capability (IOC), which remains dependent on aircraft availability, qualified pilots, maintenance personnel, and operational mission certifications. To date, the U.S. Marine Corps has not announced a definitive IOC date or confirmed the squadron's final aircraft inventory. The F-35B introduces substantial differences for VMFA-231: its Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-600 engine produces 191 kN of thrust with afterburner, compared with 106 kN from the AV-8B's Rolls-Royce Pegasus F402-RR-408. The F-35B reaches Mach 1.6, carries 6,125 kg of internal fuel, has a maximum takeoff weight of 27,216 kg, and offers a published combat radius exceeding 833 km. By comparison, the AV-8B reaches Mach 0.9, carries 3,519 kg of internal fuel, and has a maximum takeoff weight of 14,061 kg.

The F-35B accommodates up to 6,803 kg of weapons internally and externally, compared with 4,200 kg externally for the Harrier, although STOVL operations impose additional fuel and payload restrictions. Its shaft-driven lift fan, three-bearing swivel exhaust nozzle, and roll-control ducts enable short takeoffs and vertical landings, whereas the Harrier relied on four rotating exhaust nozzles connected directly to its Pegasus engine. Unlike the Harrier, the F-35B also incorporates internal weapons bays and low-observable construction, permitting missions with a reduced radar signature. VMFA-231's origins date to February 8, 1919, when it was established in Miami, Florida, as 1st Division, Squadron 1, before becoming Marine Observation Squadron One (VO-1M) on July 1, 1922. On July 16, 1927, ten personnel under Major Ross E. Rowell participated in the Battle of Ocotal, Nicaragua, conducting an early dive-bombing attack against hostile ground forces with five de Havilland DH-4B-1 two-seat biplanes.

The squadron moved to Hawaii in January 1941, received SB2U Vindicator dive bombers, and was redesignated VMSB-231 on July 1, before participating in the defense of Midway during the opening months of the Pacific War. On August 30, 1942, it reached Guadalcanal with SBD Dauntless dive bombers, joining the Cactus Air Force during operations against Japanese forces. By October 3, eleven of its twelve original SBDs had been destroyed or rendered unserviceable, leaving only one of the initial aircraft operational. It resumed combat operations in the Marshall Islands in February 1944, converted to F4U Corsair fighters in October, and received credit for destroying seven Japanese aircraft in air-to-air combat during the war. It was deactivated in March 1946, reactivated in the Marine Corps Reserve in September 1948, and deactivated again on August 31, 1962. 

VMA-231 returned to active service on May 15, 1973, equipped with the Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier vertical/short-takeoff-and-landing (V/STOL) jump jet. On October 4, 1976, it deployed aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) with Carrier Air Wing 19, conducting operations and visits involving Spain, Italy, Egypt, and Kenya, while also participating in activities aboard the USS Guam (LPH-9). After returning to Cherry Point on April 20, 1977, it was converted to the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II during the mid-1980s. The AV-8B introduced a larger composite wing, revised intakes, increased weapons capacity, and improved avionics, while later Night Attack and Harrier II Plus configurations incorporated night-attack equipment and the AN/APG-65 radar. These aircraft supported Marine ground units from amphibious assault ships, expeditionary airfields, and forward operating locations, shortening the distance between aircraft and supported troops until May 2025, when the squadron ended its Harrier operations. 

During Operation Desert Storm, Marine Corps AV-8Bs operated from forward bases as close as 65 km from Kuwait, and the service's Harrier force completed 3,380 sorties and 4,083 flight hours, with a mission-capable rate exceeding 90% and average turnaround times of 23 minutes during the ground offensive. Beginning on January 17, 1991, the squadron attacked Iraqi artillery positions threatening the Saudi border town of Khafji and subsequently conducted strikes against Iraqi vehicles, weapons positions, and other ground targets. Its aircraft expended 1,660 Mk 82 bombs, 62 Mk 83 bombs, 969 Mk 20 Rockeye cluster bombs, 78 Mk 77 incendiary bombs, and 22,709 rounds of 25 mm ammunition, totaling 767,475 kg of ordnance. On February 9, 1991, Captain Russell A. C. Sanborn was shot down by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile over Kuwait, captured, and repatriated on March 6.

Following the war, six AV-8Bs deployed aboard the USS Saipan (LHA-2) in September 1991, while a November 1992 deployment divided fourteen jets at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, from six supporting amphibious operations from Cherry Point. VMA-231 subsequently participated in NATO operations over the Balkans, deploying aboard the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) and USS Wasp (LHD-1) during 1995 and 1996, including operations associated with the rescue of U.S. Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady and Operation Deny Flight. In April 1999, the squadron supported Operation Allied Force against Yugoslavia from the USS Kearsarge, alongside Joint Guardian, Shining Hope, and Avid Response. Its Harriers participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and returned to Al Asad Air Base in spring 2007, completing 1,738 combat sorties and more than 5,158 flight hours, averaging over 2.97 hours per sortie, compared with 1.21 hours in 1991.

From November 2009 into 2010, the squadron conducted close air support from Afghanistan's Kandahar International Airport during Operation Enduring Freedom. Throughout these deployments, the Harrier's principal tasks remained close air support and interdiction, while air superiority, long-range surveillance, and suppression of sophisticated air defenses generally required other aircraft. For VMFA-231, the F-35B expands the missions that a Marine expeditionary fighter squadron can perform from amphibious ships and forward airfields, particularly against opponents equipped with modern fighters and air defense systems. Its AN/APG-81 AESA radar, AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System, AN/AAQ-40 Electro-Optical Targeting System, and AN/ASQ-239 electronic warfare suite provide several detection and targeting capabilities unavailable on the AV-8B.

AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles now enable engagements beyond visual range, while internal weapons carriage reduces radar exposure compared with the Harrier's external stores. From amphibious assault ships, VMFA-231 could now defend an amphibious force against hostile aircraft, locate coastal air defense radars, identify targets for other forces, and conduct precision strikes before supporting Marines ashore. This reduces the dependence on separate fighter and reconnaissance aircraft for some tasks, although it does not replace dedicated airborne early warning, electronic attack, or aerial refueling assets. The Marine Corps' wider acquisition objective comprises 420 F-35s, including 280 F-35Bs and 140 F-35Cs, making squadron conversion part of a broader restructuring of tactical aviation. However, the principal limitation is sustaining these new capabilities under expeditionary conditions.

The F-35B requires specialized maintenance, low-observable repairs, mission-data support, and sufficient spare parts, while V/STOL weight restrictions logically constrain available fuel and weapons loads. These constraints also affect readiness, with the Congressional Budget Office finding that F-35B availability declined from roughly 65% for new aircraft to 43% by their sixth year in service in its historical assessment, compared with roughly 59% to 43% for AV-8Bs between their eighth and twentieth years. The operational benefit for II MEF will therefore depend on VMFA-231's ability to sustain these additional missions from amphibious ships and dispersed airfields, rather than simply replacing the Harrier's ground-attack capability with a more advanced VTOL aircraft.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.