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US Marine Corps ends AV-8B Harrier operations with “Sundown Ceremony,” accelerating transition to Lockheed Martin F-35B

The U.S. Marine Corps has officially retired its AV-8B Harrier II fleet in a formal Sundown Ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, marking the end of Harrier jump-jet operations in the U.S. The service is transitioning its VMA-223 “Bulldogs” unit to the Lockheed Martin F-35B.

Discovered 2026-06-02T11:46:06.313323-07:00 | 2026-06-02T11:46:06.313323-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • The Harrier retirement is the latest step in the Marine Corps’ broader legacy-to-5th-gen drawdown, reinforcing the pace and scope of the shift toward an all-F-35 posture (see also US Marine Corps to retire legacy F/A-18 Hornets by 2030 as AV-8B Harrier II nears its final operational flights).
  • The Sundown at MCAS Cherry Point—home to the Harrier’s last operational unit—signals a near-term end state for AV-8B sustainment and training pipelines, with operational focus moving to F-35B employment.
  • For primes and suppliers, the ceremony underscores continued demand and sustainment planning tied to F-35B fielding, while simultaneously shrinking the long-running AV-8B support ecosystem.

Reported By

Flyer.co.uk defence-industry.eu Key.Aero avionrevue.com AeroTime Flying Magazine
Sources Tracked
10
First Seen
2026-06-02T11:46:06.313323-07:00
Latest Update
2026-06-07T10:27:48.995794-07:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

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