Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VMX-1) 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 ...

operational test squadron consisting of multiple aircraft types. The squadron is based at

Marine Corps Air Station 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), Ma ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. VMX-22 stood up in August 2003 and was redesignated VMX-1 in May 2016. VMX-1 conducts operational test under the authority of the Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force (COMOPTEVFOR) and the Director, Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity (MCOTEA) depending on the program under test.

Mission

VMX-1 is an independent test organization which conducts operational testing under the authority of COMOPTEVFOR or MCOTEA and administrative control of the Deputy Commandant for Aviation with the charter to: * Conducts Operational Test and Evaluation of U.S. Marine Corps fixed-wing, tiltrotor, and rotary-wing aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and aviation command and control systems under the authority of Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force or Director, Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity *Support concept development *Assist in creating Marine Aviation tactics, techniques, and procedures through experimentation *Support tactical demonstrations *Provide operational support as directed by the Deputy Commandant for Aviation

History

Flight-testing of the

MV-22 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 ...

was delayed in the aftermath of the two incidents in 2000 and resumed in May 2002 to address the mechanical issues raised by these accidents. Included in the now on-going testing process is a rigorous, strictly regimented inspection process to verify and validate all of the aircraft’s modifications and clearances. The Integrated Test Team at

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air S ...

, Edwards Air Force Base, VMX-22, and the

Bell Helicopter Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, as well as commercial helicopters in M ...

facility in

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, have flown more than 4600 hours in the MV-22. Since the MV-22 is neither a fixed-wing nor rotary-wing platform, it has a unique designation as a

tiltrotor A tiltrotor is an aircraft which generates lift and propulsion by way of one or more powered rotors (sometimes called ''proprotors'') mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles usually at the ends of a fixed wing. Almost all tiltrotors use a trans ...

. The aeromechanics, composite structure, maintenance concepts, and concept of deployment are inherently unique and best addressed in a squadron solely focused on tiltrotor operational testing. On July 11, 2014, Marines from VMX-22 accompanied on her maiden voyage from

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, en route to her homeport in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

. In June 2015, the Command Element and MV-22 component relocated to

from Marine Corps Air Station New River. In August 2015, the Light Attack (UH-1Y, AH-1W, and AH-1Z) component and the Aviation Command and Control component relocated to

from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Camp Pendleton, CA, respectively. On May 13, 2016 VMX-22 was re-designated as VMX-1. In October 2019, the F-35B Testing Detachment stationed on Edwards Air Force Base, California moved to MCAS Yuma, Arizona.

References

External links

Marine Test and Evaluation Squadron 1

Photographs

Image:MV-22Bs on USS Wasp.jpg, MV-22Bs of VMX-22 landing on USS ''Wasp'', November 2005 Image:Osprey at Pensacola.jpg, An MV-22 of VMX-22 at NAS Pensacola, November 2006 Image:VMX-1_Logo.png, VMX-1 Logo {{DEFAULTSORT:Vmx-1 Tiltrotor squadrons of the United States Marine Corps Military units and formations established in 2003

Mission

History

See also

References

External links

Photographs