The U.S. Marine Corps reactivated Fighter Attack Squadron 115, the “Silver Eagles,” as an F-35C Lightning II unit at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., on Thursday, Nov. 5, Stars and Stripes reported. The squadron had deactivated after retiring its F/A-18 Hornets about two years earlier.
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What changed
The Silver Eagles become the second unit in the East Coast-based 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing to fly the F-35C, a stealth fighter that can operate from Navy aircraft carriers, Stars and Stripes reported. Marines in the unit began flying the jet in July, and the squadron is expected to reach initial operating capability next year, according to the Corps.
The squadron joins Fighter Attack Squadron 251, which adopted the F-35C in 2024, at Cherry Point, Stars and Stripes reported. Cherry Point also has three operational F-35B squadrons.
The squadron’s history
The Silver Eagles trace their history to World War II, when they flew F4U-1 Corsairs in the Pacific, Stars and Stripes reported. The unit was inactivated in November 2023 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., after 38 years of flying Hornets, including in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the report.
The bigger plan
The Corps announced last year that it would raise its planned F-35C fleet from 67 to 140 jets by 2030, Stars and Stripes reported. The Silver Eagles are its fourth F-35C squadron, and the Corps plans four more in coming years, according to its 2025 aviation plan. The C model has the longest range of the three F-35 variants, about 1,200 nautical miles, according to the Pentagon. More coverage is in Military and War News.
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