Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 (VMAT-203) was a squadron in the

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 ...

that trained naval aviators to fly the

AV-8B Harrier The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primaril ...

. Also known as the Hawks, the squadron was based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 14 and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. Their former radio callsign was "Mars". The squadron was decommissioned on October 29, 2021.

History

Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 and its predecessors date back to 1947. VMT-1 began the evolution in 1947 as an independent squadron and shortly thereafter became part of Marine Training Group 20. Subsequent evolutions were as a unit of Force Aviation Headquarters Group until 1958, at which time VMT-1 again became a separate squadron of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. Equipped with the TF-9J "Cougar", and the

T-33 Shooting Star The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

, and conducted training in swept-wing refresher/ transition, instrument procedures, and instrument ground school. On July 2, 1967, VMT-1 received its first

A-4 Skyhawk The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed ...

and began its transition to the new aircraft. The last F-9 was transferred in December of that year. In May 1972, the squadron was re-designated VMAT-203. With a new mix of aircraft, the A-4M, and TA-4J, the squadron was tasked to train replacement aircrews to

Fleet Marine Force The United States Fleet Marine Forces (FMF) are combined general- and special-purpose forces within the United States Department of the Navy that perform offensive amphibious or expeditionary warfare and defensive maritime employment. The Flee ...

duty.

The arrival of

V/STOL A vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft is an airplane able to take-off or land vertically or on short runways. Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft are a subset of V/STOL craft that do not require runways at a ...

aviation instituted another era for VMAT-203. The squadron's A-4 SkyHawks were retired and VMAT-203 became the AV-8A/C training squadron as part of Marine Aircraft Group 32. In December 1983, the first

AV-8B Harrier II The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primari ...

was delivered, and until March 1985, VMAT-203 was assigned the dual missions of training both AV-8A/C pilot and AV-8B replacement aircrews. Having trained its last AV-8A/C pilot in March 1985, VMAT-203's exclusive mission then became the training of AV-8B aircrews and maintenance personnel. An aircraft from the squadron

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on December 29, 2008 near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. The pilot was killed in the crash.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

,
Caution light rerouted Marine in jet crash
, ''

Military Times Sightline Media Group, formerly Gannett Government Media and Army Times Publishing Company, is a United States company that publishes newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications about the U.S. and other militaries. The company's '' ...

'', January 4, 2009.

References

;Notes : ;Bibliography

External links

VMAT-203's official website
{{2ndMAW 203 Training squadrons of the United States Marine Corps

History

See also

References

External links