Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton or MCAS Camp Pendleton is a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

airfield located within

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by O ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It was commissioned in 1942 and is currently home to

Marine Aircraft Group 39 Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39) is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California that is currently composed of four AH-1Z "Viper" Cobra and UH-1Y "Venom" Huey light attack squadrons, two MV-2 ...

. The airfield is also known as Munn Field in honor of Lieutenant General John C. "Toby" Munn, the first Marine aviator to serve as the Commanding General of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

History

On September 25, 1942, the area presently known as Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, California was designated an auxiliary landing field and served as a sub-unit of

Marine Corps Air Station El Toro Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California. Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast ...

. The airfield was 6,000 ft by 400 ft and began operating in November 1942. In February 1944, it became an Outlying Field (OLF) to

Marine Corps Auxiliary Field Gillespie Gillespie Field is a county-owned public towered airport northeast of downtown San Diego, in El Cajon, San Diego County, California, United States. History : ''Section reference dates.'' In 1942 the United States Marine Corps chose a site wi ...

and it was during this time that the first squadrons were actually assigned to the field. Among the first squadrons were

VMO-5 Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 (HMLA-267) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and Bell UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. Nicknamed the "Stingers", the squadron is base ...

VMF-323 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323 (VMFA-323) is an aircraft carrier-based aviation squadron of the United States Marine Corps. The squadron is equipped with the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet and is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, ...

and VMF-471. In September 1944, the field was designated as a permanent establishment. In 1945, due to overcrowding at

Marine Corps Air Station El Centro Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

Marine Aircraft Group 35 Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Militar ...

began parking its spare transport planes at the field as well. During the early 1950s, the airfield was used in filming ''

The Flying Leathernecks ''Flying Leathernecks'' is a 1951 American Technicolor action war film directed by Nicholas Ray, produced by Edmund Grainger, (who had produced '' Sands of Iwo Jima'') and starring John Wayne and Robert Ryan. The movie details the exploits and p ...

'' starring John Wayne. Marine Observation Squadron FIVE (

), a composite squadron consisting of both

OV-10 Bronco The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is an American twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft for counter-insurgency (COIN) combat, and one of its primary missions was as a f ...

fixed-wing aircraft and

UH-1 Huey The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helico ...

helicopters, was established in 1966 and was the first squadron stationed at the airfield following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Through the years, aviation began to play an increasing role in Marine Corps tactics, creating a need for modern facilities. To meet this need, the auxiliary landing field was re-designated a Marine Corps Air Facility (MCAF) on September 1, 1978 serving as home to

(MAG-39). Since 1978, the Group expanded to a strength of four tactical helicopter squadrons, one helicopter training squadron, one observation squadron, and an aviation logistics squadron. This increase in aircraft and personnel established once again the need for improved facilities. On March 13, 1985, MCAF Pendleton was re-designated as Marine Corps Air Station effective April 1, 1985. Today, the Air Station supports over 180 helicopters assigned to MAG-39,

Marine Aircraft Group 46 Marine Aircraft Group 46 (MAG-46) was a United States Marine Corps reserve aviation group based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California with subordinate units spread throughout California. It previously composed of one adversary squadron ...

Detachment A, and a wide variety of other Marine Corps units and visiting aircraft from other branches of the Armed Forces. The closure of

MCAS Tustin Marine Corps Air Station Tustin (IATA: NTK, ICAO: KNTK, FAA LID: NTK) is a former United States Navy and United States Marine Corps air station, located in Tustin, California. History The Air Station was established in 1942 by the Uni ...

and

MCAS El Toro Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California. Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast ...

were a result of

Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end ...

legislation which saw MCAS Camp Pendleton expand its facilities again to support three additional helicopter squadrons. The first medium lift helicopter squadron joined MAG-39 in January 1999, and the final one came in June of that year. In July 2020, the station's Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron became a flying unit for the first time when it received a UC-12W Huron. The aircraft is used in the operational support role, allowing high priority passengers and cargo to be flown at a reduced cost compared to using the

MV-22B Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...

UH-1Y Venom The Bell UH-1Y VenomDoD 4120-15L, ''Model Desi ...

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at MCAS Camp Pendleton.

United States Marine Corps

Marine Corps Installations – West *

Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron A Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, abbreviated as HHS or HQHQSQDN, is the headquarters entity for a United States Marine Corps aviation facility. Organization A H&HS usually consists of the headquarters group (the station commanding general ...

– UC-12W Huron 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing *

** Headquarters Squadron 39 (MAG-39 HQ) ** Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 39 (MALS-39) ** Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169 (HMLA-169) –

AH-1Z Viper The Bell AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engine attack helicopter, based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter. Being one of the latest members of the prolific Bell Huey family, it is also ca ...

and

UH-1Y Venom The Bell UH-1Y VenomDoD 4120-15L, ''Model Desi ...

** Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 (HMLA-267) – AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom ** Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 (HMLAT-303) – AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom ** Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 (HMLAT-303) Squadron Augment Unit – AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom ** Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 (HMLA-369) – AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom ** Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469) – AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom ** Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 775 (HMLA-775) –

AH-1W Super Cobra The Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a twin-engined attack helicopter that was developed on behalf of, and primarily operated by, the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The twin Cobra family, itself part of the larger Huey family, includes the AH-1J Se ...

, AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom ** Marine Medium Tilt-rotor Squadron 164 (VMM-164) –

** Marine Medium Tilt-rotor Squadron 364 (VMM-364) – MV-22B Osprey *

Marine Aircraft Group 41 Marine Aircraft Group 41 (MAG-41) is a United States Marine Corps reserve aviation unit based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas that is currently composed of one F/A-18C squadron, one KC-130J squadron, one C-40 squadron, ...

** Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 4 (VMU-4) –

RQ-21 Blackjack The Boeing Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack, company name Integrator, is an American unmanned air vehicle designed and built by Boeing Insitu to meet a United States Navy requirement for a small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS). It is a twin-boom, si ...

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * ;Web
MCAS Camp Pendleton's official website

External links

MCAS Camp Pendleton's official websiteMarine Corps Community Services at Camp Pendleton
at GlobalSecurity.org
USMC Air Station Camp Pendleton Overview & PCS Information
(MarineCorpsUSA.org) * ** {{authority control Military installations established in 1942 Airports in San Diego County, California

active Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...

World War II airfields in the United States Military facilities in San Diego County, California 1942 establishments in California

History

Based units

United States Marine Corps

See also

References

External links