Marine Aircraft Group 49 is a

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned p ...

aviation unit based at

Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL) is a United States military facility located southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. The base is the only tri-service base in the United States Department of Defense and includes units from all six armed ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

that is currently composed of squadrons that fly the

MV-22B 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 ...

CH-53E The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy-lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor, ...

AH-1Z 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 ...

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

, UC-35D and UC-12F/W aircraft as well as an Aviation Logistics Squadron and Wing Support Squadron.

Mission

The mission of MAG 49 is to organize, train, and equip combat ready squadrons to augment and reinforce the Active Marine Forces in time of war, national emergency or contingency operations and to provide personnel and assault support capabilities to relieve operational tempo for active duty forces.

Subordinate units

Fixed Wing Squadrons * VMR Andrews *

VMR Belle Chasse VMR may refer to: * Valley Metro Rail * Variance-to-mean ratio * Vertical Market Reseller * Video Mixing Renderer, a DirectShow filter * Virtual Medical Record The Virtual Medical Record (vMR) is a simplified, standardised electronic health record ...

Helicopter Squadrons *

HMH-772 Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 (HMH-772) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopters. The squadron, known as "Hustler" or "the Hustlers", is based at McGuire AFB, New Jersey a ...

HMLA-773 Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 (HMLA-773) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and Bell UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. The squadron is based at Joint Base McGuire–Di ...

Tiltrotor Squadron *

VMM-774 Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 774 (VMM-774) is a United States Marine Corps medium helicopter squadron consisting of V-22 Osprey transport helicopters. The squadron, known as the "Wild Goose", is a United States Marine Corps Reserve unit based ...

Aviation Support Squadrons *

Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 49 Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 49 (MALS-49) is a reserve aviation logistics support unit of the United States Marine Corps. They are currently based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York and fall under the command of Marin ...

Marine Wing Support Squadron 472 Marine Wing Support Squadron 472 (MWSS-472) is a reserve aviation ground support unit of the United States Marine Corps. The Headquarters Element of MWSS 472 (-) is located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. In addition to serving a ...

Site Supports *

Site Support McGuire Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typically ...

Site Support New River (MAG-49 Det D) Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typically ...

Site Support Wyoming Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typically ...

Site Support Belle Chasse (MAG-49 Det C) Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typically ...

History

1940s & 1950s

On February 26, 1946, Marine Air Reserve Training Command (MARTC) activated at

Naval Air Station Glenview Naval Air Station Glenview or NAS Glenview was an operational U.S. Naval Air Station from 1923 to 1995. Located in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, the air base primarily operated training aircraft as well as seaplanes on nearby Lake Mi ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

and three Marine Aviation Detachments (MADS). Within a year, 21 more MADS formed consisting of 24 Marine Fighter Squadrons (VMF), and eight Ground Control Intercept Squadrons (MGCIS). One of these squadrons, VMF-451, was established at

NAS Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove or NASJRB Willow Grove was a Naval Air Station owned by the U.S. Navy and located in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States four miles (6 km) northwest of the ce ...

in April 1946. On February 1, 1947, MGCIS-17 organized at NAS Willow Grove under the MAD. In August 1950, Reserve Marines from MGCIS-17 mobilized for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and remained on active duty until reorganization of the squadron in October 1951. VMF-451 was activated as a unit on January 3, 1951 for Korean service. On June 24, 1950, MGCIS-26 formed in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. On August 3, 1950 the unit mobilized until June 30, 1952, when members returned from active duty. In 1952, upon reorganization of the Marine Corps Reserve, 17 of the 21 MADS remained, all staffed by active duty Marines. On March 1, 1954 MGCIS-26,

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

was re-designated a Marine Air Control Squadron (MACS) to reflect the Marine Corps-wide re-designation of many such units. On April 15, 1958, Helicopter Transport Squadron-772 was established. In October 1951, MACS-17 began reorganization at NAS Willow Grove after reservists were released from active duty. In 1959, Marine Air Reserve Group 25 (MARG-25) was the senior Marine Reserve command at NAS Willow Grove, with VMF-511 attached. The 4th MAW experienced great change in 1962 when

Marine Aircraft Group 43 Marine Aircraft Group 43 (MAG-43) was a fixed wing aviation group in the United States Marine Corps Reserve based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. The group was originally formed during World War II as the admin ...

was reactivated on July 1 along with Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron-43 (H&MS-43). Helicopter Transport Squadron-772 was re-designated Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-772 (HMM-772) on April 1, 1962. On February 1, 1963, MACS-26 was re-designated Marine Air Traffic Control Unit 73 (MATCU-73), and on March 1, Marine Air Base Squadron-43 (MABS-43) was reactivated at NAS Willow Grove.

1960 through present

A major 4th MAW reorganization on February 1, 1965 saw H&MS-43, MABS-43, VMF-511, and MACS-17 all reassigned to MAG-43. MATCU-73 was assigned to the 4th MAW and remained in New York until November 1, 1965 when it was reassigned to MAG-43 and transferred to NAS Willow Grove on May 1, 1967. In 1971, HMM-772 transitioned to the

CH-53 Sea Stallion The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. It was originally developed in response to a request from the United States N ...

helicopter, was re-designated HMH-772 and transferred to MAG-49 at NAS Willow Grove. In September 1972, MAG-43 was re-designated MAG-49, and MAG-49 Headquarters moved from

NAS Lakehurst Lakehurst Maxfield Field, formerly known as Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), is the naval component of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL), a United States Air Force-managed joint base headquartered approximately ...

to NAS Willow Grove. In August 1991, MACS-48 Det B mobilized to conduct Air Traffic Control Operations at

MCAS Yuma Marine Corps Air Station Yuma or MCAS Yuma is a United States Marine Corps air station. It is the home of multiple squadrons of F-35B Lightning IIs of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (MAWTS-1), Mari ...

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 ...

and

MCAS Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton or MCAS Camp Pendleton is a United States Marine Corps airfield located within Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It was commissioned in 1942 and is currently home to Marine Aircraft Group 39. T ...

, at the onset of

Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

and

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. Members of MWSS-473, Det A were mobilized to

MCAS New River Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter and tilt-rotor base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for General Keith B. McCutcheon ...

, to support station operations while active duty personnel were deployed to

Southwest Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Anat ...

. Individual members of MAG-49, reserve and active duty, mobilized to serve with various units in the

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

n desert. HMH-772 mobilized shortly after the start of Operation Desert Storm in support of the Marine Corps' Unit Deployment Program (UDP). Initially sent to the

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the aviation combat element for the ...

to augment with its sister squadron from

NAS Dallas The Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex or Grand Prairie AFRC (formerly Naval Air Station Dallas or Hensley Field) is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station located on Mountain Creek Lake in southwest Dallas. The installation was e ...

, HMH-772 was reassigned to the

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (abbreviated as 3rd MAW) is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, California and provides the aviation combat el ...

at MCAS El Toro, CA to prepare for overseas deployment to the

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Activ ...

MCAS Futenma is a United States Marine Corps base located in Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan, northeast of Naha, on the island of Okinawa. It is home to approximately 3,000 Marines of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and other units, and has been a U.S. military air ...

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. While deployed, HMH-772 participated in training deployments and helped evacuation efforts in the

Republic of the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

(RP) following the eruption of

Mount Pinatubo Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon. Its eruptive history w ...

. On October 18, 1997, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-773, Detachment A (HMLA-773, Det A) activated at MAG-49, NAS Willow Grove with 21 Marines and 9 aircraft. In 1998, HMH-772 transitioned from the Sikorsky CH53D Sea Stallion to the

CH-53E Super Stallion The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy-lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor, ...

helicopter. In 2000, the Detachment changed from HMLA-773, Detachment A to HMLA-775, Detachment A, in accordance with a 4th MAW unit realignment strategy. During March 2000, HMLA-775 Detachment A moved from Willow Grove to Cambria Airport, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In 2008 HMLA-775 Detachment A became HMLA-773 Detachment B. In 2001,

Marine Air Control Squadron 24 Marine Air Control Squadron 24 (MACS-24) is a reserve United States Marine Corps aviation command and control squadron. The squadron provides aerial surveillance and air traffic control for the Marine Forces Reserve. The squadron is headquarter ...

(MACS-24), Detachment B, NAS Willow Grove, was deactivated. In 2011, MAG-49 moved from NAS Willow Grove to

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

due to former's BRAC-directed closure. On June 16, 2016, Site Support Warner Robins also known as MAG-49 Detachment Alpha at

Robins Air Force Base Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, south-southeast of Macon and approximately south-southeast ...

was deactivated.

Notes

References

* {{4thMAW Military units and formations in Pennsylvania 4th Marine Aircraft Wing United States Marine Corps aircraft groups