The US Marine Corps plans to phase out its remaining F/A-18C/D legacy Hornets by 2030 as part of a broader transition to an all-F-35 tactical aviation fleet. The drawdown will be accompanied by the elimination of maintenance billets dedicated to the Hornet as the last units deactivate.
The final Marine Hornet squadrons are scheduled to cease operations in stages across three sites. At Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina, Hornet operations are set to end no later than August 1, 2028. At Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California, the cutoff date is August 1, 2029. At Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas, the last Hornet activity is planned to conclude by August 1, 2030.
The decision directly affects six Hornet-related maintenance specialties, including engines, airframes, aviation life support and safety equipment, navigation and radar systems, and electrical power and distribution. Marines in these specialties are encouraged to laterally move to F-35 maintenance occupations, retrain for other roles, or separate at the end of their service. An administrative message specifies that with the final Hornet unit deactivation in fiscal year 2030, promotion and retention opportunities in F/A-18 maintenance will cease, and affected Marines must be notified of their new specialty or reclassification by September 30.
Naval aviation authorities have long described the F/A-18 Hornet as the primary bridging platform toward the F-35, with a planned sunset around 2030. The aircraft has been characterized as the workhorse of Marine tactical aviation, supporting worldwide deployments for decades. The current plan accelerates the shift to a fully fifth-generation fighter force built around the F-35 Lightning II and reduces reliance on aging fourth-generation platforms.