Teammates from FRCSW Site Yuma are pictured in the detachment’s maintenance facility onboard Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma. In its 16 year history, the detachment’s artisans provided scheduled maintenance, repairs and modifications to 98 AV-8B Harriers assigned to MCAS Yuma. FRCSW Site Yuma is slated for closure next month as the Navy replaces the Harrier fleet with the F-35B variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. (U.S. Navy photo)
End of an Era at FRCSW Site Yuma as the AV-8B Harrier Sundowns
Over the past 16 years, the dedicated artisans and support personnel of Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) Site Yuma have provided outstanding support to the AV-8B warfighter community at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
Designed in the late 1960s, the unique short-takeoff, vertical landing attack aircraft is being replaced with the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter Marine variant as the Naval Aviation Enterprise updates its assets to improve readiness. As a versatile platform for both military and humanitarian operations, the AV-8B was used extensively in the last few decades and required routine and special depot maintenance provided by FRCSW Site Yuma.
FRCSW Site Yuma has been a small but mighty team comprised of approximately 20 employees, both federal and contractors, since standup in 2005. Established to perform Planned Maintenance Interval (PMI) -2/-3 events vice sending aircraft to Fleet Readiness Center East in Cherry Point, NC, the team quickly proved its worth to Marine Corps aviation by completing quality work in a timely manner. Many current members of the team, including Site Lead Rick Marinez, have been there since its inception, which has added stability and continuity of depot operations throughout the years.
Performance highlights for the AV-8B team includes completion of 98 PMI events with concurrent modifications as well as thousands of hours of in-service repairs (ISR) on every Marine Corps platform in the current inventory. Using their expertise and ability to work in adverse conditions such as the extreme heat, artisans performed ISRs both on and off site including remote locations in the desert without normal base support. At least twice a year, the FRCSW Site Yuma team rose to the occasion to support Weapons Training Instruction and Desert Talon exercises which bring as many as 100 aircraft to the station at one time.
Over the years, Site facilities were improved to increase production and address logistical challenges, including a 15,000 square-foot maintenance facility in 2008, and a 3,000 square-foot administrative facility in 2017, to replace antiquated Mobile Facility vans that housed support personnel. At the peak, the FRCSW Site Yuma was averaging 5 Harrier PMI events a year with a high of 10 in their busiest year of 2008.
FRCSW Site Yuma was recently recognized by PMA-257 Program Manager, Colonel William “Opie” Rothermel, for its “responsiveness, diligence, and devotion to ensuring aircraft were fixed RIGHT, not just right now.” CAPT Leehe, FRCSW Commanding Officer, echoes those sentiments and acknowledges the dedication of this highly skilled team throughout their years of service to the AV-8B community. They are truly a unique team of exclusive artisans found nowhere else in the NAE”
Proud of their long history supporting the AV-8B and other Marine aviation platforms, the team will complete their last two PMI events at Yuma in June 2021. Though difficult to close the doors at Yuma, the majority of team members have chosen to continue their FRCSW careers with the Vertical Lift Program at Camp Pendleton and North Island. We wish good luck to our Yuma teammates who are retiring or moving on to other jobs and welcome those who will soon be reporting to Camp Pendleton and North Island. Thank you for a job well done!