USMC F-14's?

[DBacks]

Hey guys, do the Marines use the F-14? I had a jumpseater the other day tell me that he used to fly Tomcats for the Corps somewhere in Texas. I know they have Hornets, but wasn't aware they had F-14s as well. Anyone?

 

[vschip]

That would be news to me, know the marines fly/flew F-18, AV-8, EA-6B, A-6, F-4, but not tomcats. Maybe he was an instructor w/Top Gun, or got an exchange tour at the rag. Fighter guys, give us your knowledge...

 

[furloboy]

Almost, but not quite. USMC was in the mix to field the Tomcat in the early-to-mid 70s and had a few aircrew in the RAG to make the conversion. VMFA-122 at MCAS Beaufort, SC was supposed to be the first USMC F-14 squadron. Then, the powers-that-be decided that the Tomcat would be too expensive for the Corps (true statement) and went with a decision to continue with the Phantom and wait for the Hornet. Good move.

 

[OldTomcat]

USMC Tomcats

He may have been active duty Marine, got out, and joined a reserve USN F-14 squadron--- VF-201/202 were Dallas reserve squadrons. There were a couple of guys that did this.

There was a USMC squadron called the "Tomcats," VMA-311, but that was some time ago.

I know a guy Marine WSO that did testing for USMC in F-14-- he had an unusual 100-hour USMC F-14 patch. There was never much money dedicated to the Air-Ground role of the F-14 back then--- bomb racks had some inherent problems (ejection velocity).

Interestingly, the Tomcat is one of the FAC(A) platforms of choice these days--- a typical Marine mission. Tomcat can stay on station a long time, and Laser / GPS capability /2-man crew makes for a good platform.

 

[DBacks]

Cool, thanks for the replies. From what I've read, I assume he was feeding me a line. While I'm here, what does the "V" stand for in VMFA, VF, VFA, etc, etc. Thanks.

 

[Ragansundowner]

I'm fairly certain the "V" is the navy designation for fixed wing aircraft. Helicopter squadrons have a different designation due to the rotor.

-R.S.

 

[46Driver]

You are correct: V is for fixed wing, H is for rotary. Curiously enough, the Osprey is a V.

 

[cessna_driver2]

You are correct: V is for fixed wing, H is for rotary. Curiously enough, the Osprey is a V.

Osprey is a confused bird to begin with. Even the Faa doesn't know what to call it.

Just .02 nothing esle.

 

[JumpJetter]

The "V" designation in the Navy and Marines goes back to the 1920's. At that time the only things that flew where airplanes and balloons. I might be wrong, but I think randomly they picked two letters to identify the two type of units. V for fixed wing and Z for balloons. When the helo came about, they used H. A little smarter, but the navy and USMC are heavy on tradition. If it's a Marine squadron a M will be included after the V.
Navy Fighter Sqdron
VF
Marine Fighter Sqdron
VMF

More if you want to read about it:

U.S. Navy Squadron Designations and Abbreviations



The system of squadron designations was established to help define part of Naval Aviation's organizational structure and help identify the operational and administrative functions of aviation within the fleet. Just as the designations for ships, such as DD, CA, BB, etc., were used to define the duties of the specific units and their alignment within the fleet organization, so also were the squadron designations established to formulate the responsibilities and alignment within naval aviation and the fleet structure.


During naval aviation's early years there were big question marks concerning naval aviation's ability to succeed as a functional component of the fleet and whether it would survive due to the limited capabilities of the aircraft. In official publications and references, such as the Daily Aviation News Bulletin of 1 October 1919, casual terms were used to describe or identify various aircraft squadrons and units. The casual terms were used because no specific fleet aviation organizational structure for squadrons had been officially established. Prior to 1919, naval aircraft, excluding Marine Corps planes, were primarily assigned to shore stations. Therefore, in order to integrate aviation into the fleet, it was necessary to develop a fleet organization that included aviation units. The development of a system of squadron designations is discussed in Chapter 1.


In general terms, the Navy's system for designating naval aircraft squadrons has usually conformed to the following loose classification structure:

(1) Squadron designations were based on specific letters used for indicating the missions for each particular type of squadron and its assigned aircraft. As an example, a World War II squadron operating the F4U Corsair aircraft would have been designated a fighting squadron (VF). The letter F, for fighting or fighter, was the key in identifying the type of squadron and was also used in the aircraft's designation.
(2) Identification numbers were assigned to each squadron, such as VF-1. The number 1 separates Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1) from Fighter Squadron 10 (VF-10).

The following is a list of various squadron designations used by the Navy since the early 1920s. It does not include Marine Corps squadron designations.

U.S. NAVY SQUADRON DESIGNATIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS


Acronym Full Squadron Designation General Timeframe
in use

HS Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 1951-present
HSL Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light) 1972-present
HT Helicopter Training Squadron 1960-present
HTU Helicopter Training Unit 1950-1957
HU Helicopter Utility Squadron 1948-1965
RVAH Reconnaissance Attack Squadron 1964-1979
RVAW Carrier Airborne Early Warning Training Squadron 1967-1983
STAGRON Special Air Task Force Squadron (VK) 1943-1944
TACRON Tactical Squadron or Tactical Air Control
Squadron or Tactical Control Squadron 1946-present
VA Attack Squadron 1946-present
VA(AW) All-Weather Attack Squadron 1956-1959
VAH or VA(H) Heavy Attack Squadron 1955-1971
VA(HM) Attack Mining Squadron 1956-1959
VAK Tactical Aerial Refueling Squadron 1979-1989
VAL or VA(L) Light Attack Squadron 1969-1972
VAP or VA(P) Heavy Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron or Photographic
Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) or
Heavy Photographic Squadron 1956-1971
VAQ Carrier Tactical Electronics Warfare
Squadron or Tactical Electronics
Warfare Squadron 1968-present
VAW Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 1948
1956-present
VAW Carrier Tactical Electronics Warfare Squadron 1968

VF Fighting Plane Squadron or Fighting Squadron 1922-1948
VF Fighter Squadron 1948-present
VFA Fighter Attack Squadron 1980-1983
VFA Strike Fighter Squadron 1983-present
VF(AW) All-Weather Fighter Squadron
or Fighter (All-Weather) Squadron 1956-1963
VFN or VF(N) Night Fighting Squadron 1944-1946
VFP or VF(P) Light Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron or Photographic
Reconnaissance Squadron or
Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron (Light) or Light
Photographic Squadron 1956-1987
VGF Escort-Fighter Squadron 1942-1943
VGS Escort-Scouting Squadron 1942-1943
VH Rescue Squadron 1944-1946
VJ Utility Squadron or General Utility
Squadron 1925-1946
VJ Weather Squadron or Weather
Reconnaissance Squadron 1952-1953
VJ Photographic Squadron 1952-1956
VK Special Air Task Force Squadron (STAGRON) 1943-1944
VN Training Squadron 1927-1947
VO Spotting Squadron 1922
VO Observation Plane Squadron or
Observation Squadron 1923-45, 1947-49
1967-1968
VOC Composite Spotting Squadron 1944-1945
VOF Observation Fighter Squadron 1942-1945
VP Seaplane Patrol Squadron 1922
VP Patrol Squadron 1924-1944
1946
1948-present

VR Transport Squadron or Air Transport
Squadron or Fleet Logistic Air Squadron 1942-1958
VR Fleet Tactical Support Squadron 1958-1976
VR Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 1976-present
VRC or VR(C) Fleet Tactical Support Squadron 1960-1976
VRC Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 1976-present
VRE Air Transport Evacuation Squadron 1945
VRF Transport Ferry and Service Squadron 1943-1946
VRF Air Ferry Transport Squadron or
Air Ferry Squadron 1943-1948
VRF or VR(F) Aircraft Ferry Squadron 1957-1986
VRJ Utility Transport Squadron 1945-1946
VRS Air Ferry Service Squadron or Ferry
Command Service Squadron 1943-1946
VRU Transport Utility Squadron 1946-1948
VS Scouting Plane Squadron or
Scouting Squadron 1922-1946
VS Anti-Submarine Squadron or Air
Anti-Submarine Squadron or Carrier
Air Anti-Submarine Squadron 1950-1993
VS Sea Control Squadron 1993-present
VSF Anti-Submarine Fighter Squadron 1965-1973
VT Torpedo Bombing Plane Squadron or
Torpedo Bombing Squadron 1922-1930

ZJ Blimp Utility Squadron 1944-1945
ZK Kite Balloon Squadron 1922-1924
ZKN Kite Balloon Training Squadron*
ZKO Kite Balloon Observation Squadron*
ZNN Non-rigid Airship Training Squadron*
ZNO Non-rigid Airship Observation Squadron*
ZNP Non-rigid Airship Patrol Squadron*
ZNS Non-rigid Airship Scouting Squadron*
ZP Airship Patrol Squadron 1942-1961
ZP Blimp Squadron 1942-1961
ZP Airship Patrol Squadron (All-Weather
Anti-Submarine) or Airship Squadron
or LTA Patrol Squadron 1942-1961
ZRN Rigid Airship Training Squadron*
ZRP Rigid Airship Patrol Squadron*
ZRS Rigid Airship Scouting Squadron*
ZS Airship Anti-Submarine Squadron*
ZW Airship Early Warning Squadron 1956-1961
ZX Airship Operational Development
Squadron or Airship Development Squadron 1950-1957

 

[talondriver]

The "V" designation in the Navy and Marines goes back to the 1920's. At that time the only things that flew where airplanes and balloons. I might be wrong, but I think randomly they picked two letters to identify the two type of units. V for fixed wing and Z for balloons. When the helo came about, they used H.

Someone out at Miramar told me (when I was a wee little dude) that "V" stood for "heavier than air"...started back in the days of the blimps.