Report and photos by Robbie van Disseldorp (this article first appeared in the March 2020 issue of Scramble Aviation Magazine.)
Ever since World War I troops on the ground have relied on aircraft to support their operations. From providing close air support to insertion and extraction, fixed and rotary-wing aircraft have become an essential asset for ground forces. The Marines look to their own US Marines Aviation component for this support. The US Marines Aviation combat element’s main task is to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). USMC Aviation is subdivided into Marine Aircraft Wings (MAW), who in turn oversee several Marine Aircraft Groups (MAG). One of these MAG’s is MAG-24 ‘Pacific Eagles’. We traveled to beautiful Hawaii to report on the current status of MAG-24.
Stationed at picturesque MCAS Kaneohe Bay (commonly referred to as K-Bay) on the windward side of Oahu Island, Hawaii, MAG-24 supports Marine Corps operations on the different Hawaiian Islands and beyond. MAG-24’s Commanding Officer is Col. Stephen Lightfoot, who’s also a Cobra pilot. He tells us, ‘MAG-24’s mission is to provide combat-ready expeditionary aviation forces capable of short notice worldwide deployment to MAGTF, fleet and unified commanders. With five different aircraft, we are strategically postured, trained, and equipped to respond to crisis, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, and fulfill various alliance roles in the Indo-Pacific.’
Over the last eight years, the group has experienced a period of growth and transition. Col Lightfoot explains, ‘MAG-24 has specifically changed a fair amount and grown. In fact, since 2012 we have tripled in size, we’ve gone from 650 personnel to over 2000. We are now the largest MAG in the 1st MAW and we’ve become more diverse than any other active MAG in the Marine Corps.’ The transition started in the summer of 2012. With the addition of HMLA-367 from Camp Pendleton, MAG-24 became a composite Group. Later that year the Group lost a squadron when HMH-362 was deactivated after their deployment to Afghanistan ended and their CH-53D Sea Stallions were retired. In 2014 VMU-3 and their RQ-7’s were added. That unit is currently in the process of converting to the RQ-21. In 2016 VMM-268, an MV-22B squadron was added and in 2018 the Osprey presence at Kaneohe Bay was doubled with the arrival of VMM-363 in 2018. In total, the group now has close to 100 total aircraft and nearly 2000 personnel assigned to it. This number is made up of Marines, Navy sailors, and civilians.
The aircraft that provides the Pacific Eagles with range, reach and capability is the MV-22B Osprey. This aircraft combines the vertical capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of fixed-wing aircraft. Combined with the 1st MAW refueling assets MAG-24’s Ospreys can reach across the Pacific to quickly respond to crisis.
Capt. Megan Albright is an Osprey pilot at VMM-268 “Red Dragons’ she tells us, ‘The MV-22 is an assault support aircraft, specifically assault support means that we can carry troops and cargo from one place to another and that is our primary mission in the Marine Corps and that’s also one of our primary roles here at MAG-24. Operating with MAG-24 we have the ability to carry all the cargo and troops up to one of the primary training facilities on the big island of Hawaii. We are used a lot for that and we’re an asset to them because we can fly further and faster than the traditional helicopter.’
The addition of a second VMM in 2018 was necessary to assist with the demand for Osprey operations in Hawaii. Capt. Albright explains, ‘As a single Osprey unit here on Hawaii we were brand new and our operations were actually pretty high and intensive. Adding the second squadron builds our ability to assist in the Indo-Pacific region and helps with that operational tempo with the other squadron taking on some of that workload and helping us out.’
Close air-support is provided by HMLA-367 ‘Scarface’. The squadron fields the UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper. The Venom can fight its way into a hostile area and insert and extract troops in environments where the Osprey and Super Stallion can’t go. It has a much smaller footprint and uses less fuel. The AH-1Z is the Marine Corps' most lethal helicopter. It is also the only attack helicopter in the world with fully integrated air-to-air missile capability.
HMH-463 ‘Pegasus’ are the heavy lifters of MAG-24. The squadron flies the CH-53E Super Stallion. These beasts can lead an assault with 30 combat loaded Marines, externally lift up to 36.000 pounds in equipment and can be used to transport civilians and critical supplies in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
The eyes and ears of MAG-24 are the VMU-3’Phantoms’. The squadron employs the RQ-21A ‘Blackjack’. This surveillance and reconnaissance platform can be launched and recovered without a runway and is capable of delivering actionable intelligence to the tactical commander in real-time.
To counter rising threats from China and North Korea in the Indo-Pacific region the Marine Corps has been redistributing troops and aircraft in that area since 2018. Redistributing men and material across the pacific will make it harder for the enemy to strike and destroy Marines assets. An extra 4000 marines were moved from Okinawa, Japan to units in Hawaii which means MAG-24’s workload is only getting bigger. Since 2012 the Marines have also been regularly stationing MV-22B’s in Darwin, Australia for 6-month rotations to train with Australian forces. Often this task falls on the shoulders of the MAG-24 Osprey Squadrons. To this date, MAG-24’s Osprey’s squadrons have completed a Trans-Pacific flight supported by air-refuel tankers five times, once by VMM-363 and four times by VMM-268.
With the Marines focus on the Indo-Pacific region, MAG-24 will see requests for its services increase in the future. Whether it’s current events or the threats of natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and hurricanes in Hawaii, the men and women of MAG-24 stand ready to jump into action at a moment's notice. ‘The bottom line is, the Marines are a 911 force, whatever it is we want to be the first ones to get there to provide whatever assistance is required whether it’s combat-related or whether it’s humanitarian assistance or crisis-related.’ says Col. Lightfoot.
Unfortunately for aviation enthusiasts, there is no good spot around K-Bay to watch flight operations. You will just have to find a spot on a nearby beach and have your camera ready in case one of MAG-24’s aircraft flies by.
The author would like to thank Col. Lightfoot, 1st Lt. Glynn, Capt. Albright and Lt Col. Alvarez for answering all the questions and arranging the visit.