SAN DIEGO — The Marine Fighter Aircraft Attack Squadron known as “Tomcats,” which deployed in conflicts from WWII to Operation Iraqi Freedom, was deactivated in 2020 to undergo a major upgrade. Now they're back, and better than ever.
The squadron's Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Michael Fisher is excited about their new F-35C fighter jet.
“Just looking at the aircraft, you can see how great it is and how advanced it is,” Fisher said standing next to the aircraft. He’s also extremely proud of the Tomcats tradition.
“One of the most decorated and honored squadrons in the Marine Corps,” he said. “You know, the great ones like Ted Williams... we have Ted Williams Parkway in Poway. John Glenn. Just great representatives of us, who we are and the Marine Corps in general.”
The Tomcats have had some pretty awesome aircraft over the years, but nothing like this.
It can fly more than 1,200 nautical miles without refueling, land and take off from aircraft carriers, and it’s incredibly stealth.
“You're talking low observability so the enemy is going to have a hard time finding us,” Fisher said.
And then there are the bombs. The F-35C can carry more than 18,000 pounds of combined internal and external weapons. We watched them practicing today as they loaded a 500 pound bomb and another weighing 2,000 pounds. And even fully loaded, these jets are supersonic - hitting speeds around 1,200 miles per hour.
The Marine Corps isn't saying how much they cost, but military experts believe they're just over $100 million each. For members of the Tomcats, it's money well spent.
“I see freedom,” said Cpl. Andrew Carr. “It's amazing to be able to put my hands on it and work on the aircraft every day.”
You'll be seeing the F-35C regularly in the sky over San Diego. Several are already stationed at MCAS Miramar.
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