Tag Archives: VMFA-312

Celebrating 45 Years of the Hornet

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On 18 November 1978, the aircraft that would become the F/A-18 Hornet took its first flight.

Rolled out in September 1978, the first McDonnell Douglas YF-18A Hornet – before the F/A-18A– was marked “Marines” on the right

And “Navy” on the left

And, while the Rhino and Growler have come to play in a big way, a few legacy C and D model baby Hornets are still in the fleet.

A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 312 flies loaded with six AIM-120D advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles and two AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles over the Pacific Ocean Oct. 27, 2022. (U.S. Marine Corps courtesy photo by Capt. Ryan Fronczek).

NAVAIRSYSCOM has put together a great, high-octane, 11-minute film as they continue to celebrate the bird’s 45th anniversary, looking back on its life and legacy through the people who have built it, flown it, and commanded the program office that sustains it: The F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265).

Fights On

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These great images from MCAS Beaufort, SC, showing a vintage squadron line up around an F4U Corsair, likely in WWII, and a newer image of a squadron with F/A-18 Charlies.

The unit in question is Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312 (VMFA-312). Formed 1 June 1943 at Page Field, Parris Island, they fought at Okinawa and in the Japanese Home Islands then continued flying Corsairs off Jeep carriers in Korea. Flying Phantoms from 1966 through 1987, they switched to Hornets and haven’t looked back yet.

Their motto is “Fights on.”