Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VMX-1) is a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

operational test squadron consisting of multiple aircraft types. The squadron is based at

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Marine Corps Air Station Yuma or MCAS Yuma is a United States Marine Corps air station in Arizona. It is the home of multiple squadrons of F-35B Lightning IIs of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (MA ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. VMX-22 stood up in August 2003 and was redesignated VMX-1 in May 2016. VMX-1 conducts operational test under the authority of the Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force (COMOPTEVFOR) and the Director, Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity (MCOTEA) depending on the program under test. The squadron uses the callsign ''Storm'' for its aircraft.

Mission

VMX-1 is an independent test organization which conducts operational testing under the authority of COMOPTEVFOR or MCOTEA and administrative control of the Deputy Commandant for Aviation with the charter to: * Conducts Operational Test and Evaluation of U.S. Marine Corps fixed-wing, tiltrotor, and rotary-wing aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and aviation command and control systems under the authority of Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force or Director, Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity *Support concept development *Assist in creating Marine Aviation tactics, techniques, and procedures through experimentation *Support tactical demonstrations *Provide operational support as directed by the Deputy Commandant for Aviation

History

Flight-testing of the

MV-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-use, tiltrotor military transport aircraft, military transport and cargo aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed ...

was delayed in the aftermath of the two incidents in 2000 and resumed in May 2002 to address the mechanical issues raised by these accidents. Included in the now on-going testing process is a rigorous, strictly regimented inspection process to verify and validate all of the aircraft’s modifications and clearances. The Integrated Test Team at

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station in St. Mary’s County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Comm ...

Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, California, Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County and a souther ...

, VMX-22, and the

Bell Helicopter Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, United States as well as commercial heli ...

facility in Amarillo,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, have flown more than 4600 hours in the MV-22. Since the MV-22 is neither a fixed-wing nor rotary-wing platform, it has a unique designation as a

tiltrotor A tiltrotor is an aircraft that generates lift (force), lift and thrust, propulsion by way of one or more powered Helicopter rotor, rotors (sometimes called ''proprotors'') mounted on rotating shaft (mechanical engineering), shafts or nacelles ...

. The aeromechanics, composite structure, maintenance concepts, and concept of deployment are inherently unique and best addressed in a squadron solely focused on tiltrotor operational testing. On 11 July 2014, Marines from VMX-22 accompanied on her maiden voyage from

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, en route to her homeport in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. In June 2015, the Command Element and MV-22 component relocated to

from Marine Corps Air Station New River. In August 2015, the Light Attack (UH-1Y, AH-1W, and AH-1Z) component and the Aviation Command and Control component relocated to

from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Camp Pendleton, CA, respectively. On 13 May 2016 VMX-22 was re-designated as VMX-1. In October 2019, the F-35B Testing Detachment stationed on Edwards Air Force Base, California moved to MCAS Yuma, Arizona. In June 2024, VMX-1 received its first CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter.

References

External links

Marine Test and Evaluation Squadron 1

Photographs

Image:MV-22Bs on USS Wasp.jpg, MV-22Bs of VMX-22 landing on USS ''Wasp'', November 2005 Image:Osprey at Pensacola.jpg, An MV-22 of VMX-22 at NAS Pensacola, November 2006 Image:VMX-1_Logo.png, VMX-1 Logo {{DEFAULTSORT:Vmx-1 Tiltrotor squadrons of the United States Marine Corps Military units and formations established in 2003

Mission

History

See also

References

External links

Photographs