USMC F/A-18Ds face the axe!
- Robin Polderman
- Jan 17
- 2 min read
Report by Robin Polderman, photos by Robin Polderman and Facebook
For sale; one careful owner. This could be sign posted at a scrapyard in Ontario, CA, where eight former USMC F/A-18D aircraft are currently awaiting their inevitable fate. These aircraft's, mostly empty, hulks are for sale for a mere US$ 129,000 for the lot.
This seems like a steal for those interested in owning a piece of history sure to enhance any mancave, but there is a catch. According to Department of the Navy regulations, once sold, the aircraft will be turned into scrap metal which only then can be collected by the buyer.
So far, three of the F/A-18D aircraft awaiting the scrap man’s torch have been identified as follows:
163452/SH-221
164009/SH-241
164049/SH-247
The Unit Report is awaiting confirmation on the ID of the remaining five airframes in the yard.
We assess that all eight F/A-18Ds facing the axe belonged to VMFAT-101, which served as the F/A-18 training squadron at MCAS Miramar until its deactivation on 29 September 2023. During the Miramar airshow in the fall of 2023, a large number of stored F/A-18D Hornets were seen on the ramps away from the public, but most had disappeared by the time the 2024 Air Show took place, in late September of that year.
The training mission of VMFAT-101 was transferred to VMFA-323, an operational squadron also based at MCAS Miramar. This unit will provide training for Hornet pilots through 2027, with the squadron tasked to deliver eight new F/A-18 pilots per year between 2025 and 2027.
As outlined in the 2022 Marine Corps Aviation Plan, the F/A-18C/D will continue to operate and provide combat capability until its complete transition to the F-35B/C in 2030. The last squadron to give up the F/A-18 will be reserve unit VMFA-112, which will receive the F-35B starting Fiscal Year 2031.
