UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS AVIATION (USMC) • US Marine Corps Aviation

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS AVIATION (USMC)

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS AVIATION (USMC) • US Marine Corps Aviation

Marines 170,800 personnel. Marine Aviation 34,700 personnel. Organization: 3 active Marine Aircraft Wings (MAW) and 1 Marine Corps Reserve (MCR) MAW.

Forces by Role & Equipment by Type
Marine Aviation Command

• AIRCRAFT 347 combat capable.

Fighter & Fighter Ground Attack with 16 active squadrons:

• 137 Lockheed Martin F-35B/C Lightning II (16+229 on order);
• 132 Boeing F/A-18A/C/D Hornet;
• 78 McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II / Harrier II Plus.

Tanker & Multi-role Transport with 4 active squadrons:

• 76 Lockheed Martin KC-130J Hercules (5 on order).

Light & Tactical Transport:

• 15 Beechcraft King Air 200/350 (UC-12F) (1 on order);
• 10 Cessna Citation Encore;
• 2 Boeing 737 (C-40A Clipper);
• 1 Gulfstream IV (C-20G).

Training (Fixed-wing):

• 45 Boeing F/A-18B/C/D (OCU role);
• 38 Lockheed Martin F-35B/C (OCU role);
• 13 Northrop Grumman F-5F/N Tiger II (Adversary role);
• 11 McDonnell Douglas TAV-8B Harrier;
• 2 Raytheon T-34.

• HELICOPTER 186 combat capable. Total ε770+ Helicopters.

Attack (Helicopters) with 186 combat capable units:

• 186 Bell AH-1Z Viper.

Transport & Multi-role (Helicopters/Tiltrotor):

• 313 Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey (2 on order);
• 131 Bell UH-1Y Venom;
• 128 Sikorsky CH-53E Sea Stallion.

Heavy Transport (Helicopters):

• 19 Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion (10+175 on order).

VIP & Government Support (Helicopters):

• (Note: Operations include specialized platforms such as the VH-3D Sea King, VH-60N White Hawk, and the VH-92A Patriot).

• UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS (UAS)

Combat & ISR (Heavy):

• General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper (2 active squadrons; fleet expanding toward 18 units).

ISR (Light):

• 40 Insitu RQ-21A Blackjack;
• 100 BQM-147 Exdrone.

• ARMAMENT

• Air-to-Air Missiles (AAM): AIM-9M Sidewinder; AIM-9X Sidewinder II; AIM-120C AMRAAM.
• Air-to-Surface Missiles (ASM): AGM-65E/F Maverick; AGM-114 Hellfire; AGM-176 Griffin; AGM-179A JAGM; AGR-20A APKWS (Laser-guided rockets recently adapted for drone defense on legacy Hornets).
• Anti-Ship Missiles (AShM): AGM-84D Harpoon.
• Anti-Radiation Missiles (ARM): AGM-88 HARM.
• Precision Bombs: GBU-31/32/38 JDAM; GBU-39/53 SDB I/II; GBU-10/12/16 Paveway II; GBU-54 Laser JDAM.

Note: By 2026, U.S. Marine Corps Aviation is heavily focused on the Force Design 2030 transformation to enhance expeditionary lethality in contested maritime environments. This strategy emphasizes island-hopping capabilities in the Pacific, supported by the ramp-up of the F-35B fleet and the modernization of heavy-lift assets like the CH-53K King Stallion. To address emerging "grey-zone" threats, the Marines have also integrated APKWS II rockets into an air-to-air role for legacy F/A-18 Hornets to counter uncrewed aerial systems. strategic deployments, such as the use of MV-22B Ospreys from the USS Boxer, continue to bolster the assault reach in the Indo-Pacific.