Harrier Sundown
June 3, 2026 — The Marine Corps’ Final Harrier Operations
VMA-223 Bulldogs final squadron composite on May 5th, 2026 - CALLSIGN
On June 3, 2026, five AV-8B Harrier IIs of Marine Attack Squadron 223 lifted off from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., flew in formation over a crowd of more than 5,000 people, and came back to land the way only a Harrier can: straight down. With that flight, 55 years of Marine Corps Harrier operations came to an end. This is the story of that day, the squadron that flew it and the road that led there.
Quick Facts
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Place: Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.
Squadron: VMA-223, the Bulldogs, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Commanding officer: Lt. Col. John B. Cumbie
Executive officer: Maj. Eric Shiebe
Aircraft flown: Five AV-8B Harrier IIs, in a formation flight and a vertical landing demonstration
Crowd: More than 5,000 people, including senior Marine Corps leaders, state and local officials, service members, Bulldog families and Harrier veterans
Marine Corps Harrier service: 1971–2026, 55 years
VMA-223 Harrier service: 1987–2026, nearly 40 years
What’s next: VMA-223 is scheduled to return as VMFA-223, flying the F-35B Lightning II, in fiscal year 2028
The Day
The Bulldogs had only recently come home. They had flown from USS Iwo Jima with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit on Operation Southern Spear in the Caribbean, the last operational deployment of the Marine Corps Harrier. More than 5,000 people were on the Cherry Point flight line to see them fly one last time: senior Marine Corps leaders, state and local officials, active-duty service members, the squadron’s families and friends, and veterans of the Harrier community.
Five jets launched and flew in formation over the field. Then the Bulldogs demonstrated the vertical landing that has drawn crowds at air shows for half a century, slowing to a hover in front of the spectators and settling onto the ramp on the thrust of the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine.
“The Bulldogs are extremely proud to conduct the final Harrier operations for the U.S. Marine Corps.”
— Lt. Col. John B. Cumbie, VMA-223 commanding officer, June 3, 2026
Lt. Col. Cumbie, a Texan, had taken command of the Bulldogs in 2024. Maj. Eric Shiebe, a Georgian and AV-8B pilot, was the squadron’s executive officer. Cpl. Myles J. Howard, a fixed-wing aircraft mechanic from Georgia, stood at attention beside his commanding officer in front of an AV-8B, a reminder that the Harrier’s last day belonged to the maintainers as much as to the pilots.
The Road to Sundown
1971 — The Marine Corps accepts its first AV-8A Harrier. VMA-513 becomes the first Harrier squadron.
1985 — VMA-331 at Cherry Point becomes the first operational AV-8B Harrier II squadron.
1987 — VMA-223 trades its A-4M Skyhawks for the AV-8B.
1991 — Harriers fly from ships and forward bases in Operation Desert Storm.
2024 — The last two Marine pilots complete AV-8B training and are designated Harrier pilots.
2025 — On May 29, VMA-231, the Ace of Spades, flies its last Harriers at Cherry Point. On September 23, VX-31 at China Lake, Calif., flies its last Harrier. The Bulldogs sail aboard USS Iwo Jima with the 22nd MEU.
2026 — The Bulldogs return from the last Marine Corps Harrier deployment. On June 3, VMA-223 flies the final Harrier operations at Cherry Point.
2028 — Fiscal year in which VMA-223 is scheduled to reactivate as VMFA-223 with the F-35B Lightning II.
The Last Squadrons
The sundown at Cherry Point was the last of three farewells in a little over a year. Each closed a different chapter of the Harrier story.
VMA-231, the Ace of Spades — May 29, 2025, MCAS Cherry Point. The oldest squadron in the Marine Corps flew Harriers from the AV-8A in 1973 to the end. Read the Spades’ Harrier story →
VX-31, the Dust Devils — September 23, 2025, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif. The Navy test squadron that kept upgrading the Harrier for more than four decades flew Harrier 88, “Christine,” under the call sign “Last 1.” Read the Dust Devils’ Harrier story →
VMA-223, the Bulldogs — June 3, 2026, MCAS Cherry Point. The last operational Harrier squadron, and the last to deploy. Read the Bulldogs’ Harrier story →
What the Harrier Meant
For the Marines who flew it and kept it flying, the Harrier was never just an airplane. It was the jet that could operate from a road, a clearing or the deck of an amphibious ship, and it demanded more of its pilots and maintainers than anything else on the flight line.
“This is a pilot’s airplane. There are no computers. It’s cables, pulleys and the skill required to keep that thing in the air.”
— Lt. Col. Timothy “Little Buddy” Burchett, VX-31 commanding officer, 2025
“God bless the mechanics all those years … those were the true heroes, in my opinion, in terms of keeping that platform alive.”
— Col. Ben “Lawman” Hancock (Ret.), Harrier pilot
“We lost a lot of great Marines along the way, and we honored each of these with every procedure and material solution that improved the safety and reliability of this aircraft.”
— Jim “Jimbo” Coppersmith, VX-31 technical director, 2025
“We will soon become the history of the Marine Corps. … We will be shadows on the wall somewhere.”
— Richard Campbell, Harrier avionics Marine, VMA-231 and VMA-211
In Memoriam
The Harrier was an unforgiving airplane, and the Marine Corps lost Marines to it across its five decades of service. The sundown at Cherry Point was also a day to remember them. Each of our squadron pages carries the names we have been able to confirm, and we are still gathering the rest. If you can help us honor a Marine lost in a Harrier, please share your story.
What Happens to the Jets
The Marine Corps has not fully announced what becomes of the remaining airframes. Retired Harriers have gone to museums and to long-term storage, and whether another Harrier operator will take on former Marine Corps jets remains to be seen. We will update this page as the fleet’s fate is settled.
The Harrier Legacy Project
The sundown is the closing chapter of The Harrier Legacy Project, CALLSIGN Publishing’s 120-page commemorative book on the Marine Corps AV-8 Harrier community, built from two years of embedded reporting, original photography and firsthand oral histories, from VX-31’s last test flights at China Lake to the Bulldogs’ final deployment and sundown. Learn about the book →
Harrier Squadrons
VMA-211 Wake Island Avengers · VMA-214 Black Sheep · VMA-223 Bulldogs · VMA-231 Ace of Spades · VMA-311 Tomcats · VMA-331 Bumblebees · VMA-513 Flying Nightmares · VMA-542 Tigers · VMAT-203 Hawks · VX-4 Evaluators · VX-5 Vampires · VX-9 Vampires · VX-31 Dust Devils
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Marine Corps retire the Harrier? VMA-223 flew the final Marine Corps Harrier operations on June 3, 2026, at MCAS Cherry Point, N.C.
Which squadron flew the last Harriers? VMA-223, the Bulldogs, under Lt. Col. John B. Cumbie. It was the last operational AV-8B squadron and the last to deploy, aboard USS Iwo Jima with the 22nd MEU.
How many Harriers flew at the sundown? Five AV-8B Harrier IIs flew a formation flight and a vertical landing demonstration.
How many people attended? More than 5,000, according to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
How long did the Marine Corps fly the Harrier? Fifty-five years, from the first AV-8A in 1971 to the sundown in 2026.
What replaces the Harrier? The F-35B Lightning II, which also takes off short and lands vertically. VMA-223 is scheduled to return as VMFA-223 with the F-35B in fiscal year 2028.
Sources and Further Reading
VMA-223 celebrates sundown as Marine Corps’ final Harrier squadron, Capt. Jacob Ballard, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, June 3, 2026
VMA-223 Harrier sundown ceremony, photographs, DVIDS
The USMC’s AV-8B Harrier Has Flown Off Into The Sunset, Thomas Newdick, The War Zone
Marine Corps prepares to retire AV-8B Harrier after decades of service, WITN, April 2026
Interviews conducted by CALLSIGN Publishing for The Harrier Legacy Project.
Last updated September 2026.