U.S. Marines from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing conducted a Harpoon exercise at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan, loading VMFA-232 F/A-18 Hornets with AGM-84D anti-ship missiles before refuelling them in flight with KC-130J tankers from VMGR-152. Official imagery shows a 10-aircraft Hornet formation operating over waters near Japan, underscoring the Marines’ ability to generate a forward-based maritime strike package quickly in the Western Pacific.
The aircraft were shown carrying two Harpoon missiles each, indicating the potential to deliver a substantial salvo against surface targets. The event highlights how legacy F/A-18C/D Hornets remain part of the Marine Corps’ sea-denial toolkit, with aerial refuelling extending their range and enabling operations from dispersed bases. Publicly released material did not detail the full exercise construct or the broader scenario, but the images and video clearly showed a maritime strike package built around anti-ship weapons and tanker support.