The United States Marine Corps will retire the last of its McDonnell Douglas AV-8B+ Harrier II fighters in just under two years, as Marine Attack Squadron 223 (VMA-223) continues to transition to the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting II.

In April of this year, the AV-8B Harrier II Fleet Replacement Detachment (FRD), Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), graduated the final two pilots to receive the 7509 Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina.

On Monday, the Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) announced it completed the final AV-8B Harrier maintenance event, and delivered the aircraft to VMA-233 last month. At a ceremony on September 20 in the command's Harrier II hanger, FRCE held a sendoff for the maintenance finale. It recognized the efforts of the depot's team for its more than five decades of support for the legendary aircraft.

Since 1973, FRCE has maintained the AV-8A Harrier and F402 engine. The depot will follow VMA-223 in transitioning to the other weapons platforms, notably the F-35.

"It's an honor to lead a facility with such a remarkable legacy," said FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. Randy Berti. "For five decades, FRC East has been a cornerstone in supporting the Harrier program for both the Marine Corps and our nation's international allies. Our AV-8 platform's success is directly attributed to the hard work and dedication of multiple generations of FRC East employees. I am proud of all this team has accomplished throughout the years and I look forward to what's next."

The Final Days for the Harrier II Fighter

VMA-223 will operate the Harrier through September 2026, and until that time, the AV-8B will likely remain a familiar sight around MCAS Cherry Point and could execute deployed operations as part of Marine Expeditionary Units.

The AV-8B has supported numerous operations across the globe, including Operation Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force in 1999 in the former Yugoslavia, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

It has been primarily employed on light attack or multirole missions, ranging from close air support of ground troops to armed reconnaissance. The Harrier II could deploy a wide range of weapon systems, including the air-to-air AMRAAM and Sparrow missiles, air-to-surface AGM-65 Maverick missiles, anti-ship Harpoon and Sea Eagle missiles, a 25mm cannon, and a range of bombs and rockets.

The AV-8B was routinely deployed onboard amphibious assault ships and simple forward operating bases.

In total, production for the United States Marine Corps extended to 280 aircraft, while a total of 340 aircraft were manufactured including for foreign sales before the production ended in 2003. And while the USMC will see the aircraft retired in less than two years, the AV-8B will remain in operation with NATO member Spain, at least for a few years longer. In May, the Spanish Navy announced that its fleet of Harrier jets won't be retired until at least 2030. Madrid?s sea service operates a total of ten Harriers, seven of which are currently deployed on the flagship Juan Carlos I.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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