FRCE delivers final trainer Harrier
On 11 May 2023, the Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) at MCAS Cherry Point (NC) reached a milestone towards the drawing down of the Phase Maintenance Inspection (PMI) programme on the AV-8B/TAV-8B Harrier II after delivering the final trainer aircraft.
With the delivery of TAV-8B, BuNo 163196/WP-32, to Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223 Bulldogs ('WP-xx') the programme on this subtype officially ended.
With three more scheduled PMI inductions over the next year and a half, the AV-8 team will be disassembling, inspecting, repairing, reassembling and testing those aircraft. The team will be dismantling retired aircraft and removing good parts to be refurbished and returned to the supply system to be used on the aircraft remaining in the fleet.
The USMC is moving to replace the Harrier with the short takeoff-vertical landing F-35B Lightning II by 2027, which means FRCE’s AV-8 programme will soon transition to supporting other platforms.
On 31 May 2023, the first F-35B Lightning II arrived at MCAS Cherry Point and was delivered to the Marine Corps' first operational East Coast squadron, VMFA-542 Flying Tigers ('WH-xx'). The Marine Fighter Attack Squadron officially started the transition from the AV-8B Harrier II to the F-35B Lightning II on 1 December 2022.
Photo by Naval Air Systems Command