VMFA-251 ‘Thunderbolts’ receive first F-35C

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 (VMFA-251) ‘Thunderbolts’ welcomed its first F-35C Lightning II (170501) to MCAS Cherry Point North Carolina, on September 17.

The ‘Thunderbolts’ are the first of two units within the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing’s (MAW’s) Marine Aircraft Group 14 (MAG-14) to operate the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR)-configured F-35C, with ten examples due to be assigned to the squadron in total. Having previously flown the legacy F/A-18 Hornet jets from MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, VMFA-251 was deactivated on April 23, 2020. The unit is still undergoing the reactivation process as the USMC’s first East Coast-based F-35C squadron at Cherry Point and is expected to achieve its ‘Safe-for-Flight’ certification with the Lightning II in November