A thunderous arrival turned solemn tribute as a legendary U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II+ touched down at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona this June, marking the aircraft’s official retirement and its induction into the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Airbase Arizona Museum.

Maj. Robert “Robin” Weede piloted the aircraft, bureau number (BuNo) 165576, from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina as part of a three-Harrier delivery mission across the country. Following in-flight refueling and high-altitude transitions, the Harrier split from its wingmen near Albuquerque, New Mexico and banked southwest toward Mesa.

The effort was a collaborative operation involving the AV-8B Harrier Program Office (PMA-257), Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, and Marines from the transitioning Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 231. Ahead of their transition to the F-35B Lightning II, VMA-231 executed the complex demilitarization of the aircraft on-site to meet museum safety standards.

On June 13, the Marine Corps demilitarization team arrived at the CAF facility after traveling from Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado where the first of three Harriers was demilitarized and inducted into the Wings Over the Rockies Museum in Denver. Working late into the evening, they began preparing the Harrier for permanent public display. Final touches were completed the next day as museum guests observed the Marines in action as they turned wrenches and shared stories beneath the aircraft’s iconic frame.

“The Marines demilitarized two Harriers within a week, from Colorado to Arizona,” said Pablo “Louie” Sanchez, PMA-257 logistics assistant program manager and museum task force lead. “Doing that under triple-digit heat while maintaining strict safety and technical protocols speaks volumes about their professionalism.”

BuNo 165576 entered service in the 1980s and was later remanufactured to the II+ standard in 2000. It flew with multiple squadrons including VMAs 214, 311, and 231, accumulating more than 8,200 flight hours, inclusive of over 1,200 in combat zones supporting U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It’s not every day you get to witness the last chapter of a legendary aircraft written live in your own hangar,” said Alan Urban, Museum Director, curator at CAF Airbase Arizona. “This Harrier tells a story of power, precision, and perseverance. The Marine Corps team was a class act, and the public loved engaging with them. It was history happening in real time.”

With more than 11,000 visitors expected during summer months alone, the CAF Harrier now stands poised to inspire generations of flight enthusiasts, veterans, and dreamers under the desert sky.