F-35C - Den første overlevert til US Marines - The Aviationist

 

New VMFA-251 Thunderbolts F-35C CAG-Bird Breaks Cover

Published on: December 13, 2024 at 3:36 PM Follow Us On Google News

 David Cenciotti

 

The VMFA-251 CAG bird at NAS JRB Fort Worth on Dec. 12, 2024 (All images, credit: Gherardo and Victoria Fontana)

Take a look at the specially painted aircraft of VMFA-251, the first East Coast operational unit of the U.S. Marine Corps to receive the F-35C.

On Sept. 17, 2024, the U.S. Marine Corps’ Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 251 received its first F-35C Lightning II jet, at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina. As we reported in detail back then, the delivery of the first CV (Carrier Variant) Lightning, made VMFA-251 the first U.S. Marine Corps’ East Coast operational F-35C squadron.

Take a look at the specially painted aircraft of VMFA-251, the first East Coast operational unit of the U.S. Marine Corps to receive the F-35C.One-two ‘punch’ for the USMC

VMFA-251 is part of Marine Aircraft Group 14 (MAG-14) within the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW 2), the aviation combat element of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF).

The first aircraft delivered to the unit, BuNo 170501/CF-93, was also elected to be converted into the Thunderbolts CAG-bird and given a fresh new paint scheme to be ready for the ceremony held at MCAS Cherry Point on Dec. 5, to celebrate the reactivation of the squadron following a four-year, seven-month hiatus.

VMFA-251, known as the “Thunderbolts” or “T-Bolts,” was previously deactivated during a ceremony on April 23, 2020, at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, after returning from deployment in 2020 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The Thunderbolts’ deactivation concluded its 34 years as an F/A-18 Hornet squadron. The squadron was then relocated to MCAS Cherry Point to begin its transition to the F-35.

“Today, almost 83 years to the day after it was founded, VMFA-251 reactivates as an F-35C Lightning II squadron. The T-Bolts are humbled and honored for the privilege of carrying that proud legacy forward,” said Lt. Col. Evan Shockley, commanding officer, VMFA-251 in a public release.

“Our immediate focus is working towards initial operational capability, which means that VMFA-251 has enough operational F-35C Lightning II aircraft, trained pilots, maintainers, and support equipment to self-sustain its mission essential tasks. Following that, we will turn our attention towards reaching full operational capability to ensure that, when called upon, the T-Bolts will stand ready to serve our great nation.”

While the official photos published on the DVIDS website showed the CAG-bird in the hangar where the ceremony was held, a much better look at the special colored aircraft is provided by the images taken by our contributors Gherardo and Victoria Fontana.

CF-93 / 170501 was delivered to VMFA-251 on Sept. 17, 2024.

In fact, on Dec. 12, 2024, using radio callsign TBOLT 21, the CAG bird flew into NAS JRB Fort Worth for a gas and go. After landing around 14.30 LT, the aircraft remained on the ground for about an hour and a half, and then left for Yuma.

As the images in this article show, the tail includes an orange lightning bolt design over a white cross and black background, markings (including “MARINES”, “VMFA-251”, warning triangles and “JET INTAKE DANGER”), displayed in orange.

The front gear door of aircraft says “THUNDERBOLTS” on left side and “CUSTOS CAELORUM” on the right side in yellow paint. The latter translates from Latin to “Guardians of the Sky”.