A Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom prepares to land aboard the expeditionary sea base USS Miguel Keith in the Philippine Sea on Sept. 28, 2024. (Staci Morris/U.S. Marine Corps)
The Marine Corps recently conducted its first live-fire training with a full detachment of helicopters operating from a sea-base ship near Okinawa, showcasing the flexibility of its expeditionary advanced base operations concept.
About 100 members of Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 165 (Reinforced) — part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. — carried out the exercises on Sept. 25 and Oct. 13.
Using UH-1Y Venoms and AH-1Z Vipers, the Marines launched day and night sorties from the USS Miguel Keith near Irisuna Jima, an uninhabited island in Okinawa prefecture, the Marines announced Oct. 17.
On each training day, four helicopters carried out 18 sorties, employing live ordnance, including 2.75-inch rockets, 20mm semi-armor-piercing high-explosive incendiary rounds and .50-caliber and 7.62mm weapons, according to the release.
“We validated, broadly speaking, the ability to deploy H-1s on [expeditionary sea bases] for longer durations,” Capt. Brian Tuthill, a 15th MEU spokesman, said by phone Nov. 5.
Marine Corps Capt. Joseph Smolenski, left, a UH-1Y Venom pilot, and Sgt. Andrew Aguirre, the crew chief, fly from Okinawa to the expeditionary sea base USS Miguel Keith on Sept. 27, 2024. (Staci Morris/U.S. Marine Corps)
The full detachment comprises eight helicopters, Lt. Col. Michael Harper, the H-1 officer in charge, said during a Nov. 5 phone interview from aboard the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship.
During the training, the Miguel Keith served as a “spoke” in the Marines Corps’ hub-spoke-node operational model, supporting the Boxer — the headquarters, or “hub.” Deploying helicopters from the Miguel Keith extended their range, enabling missions up to 100 miles away without refueling, Harper said.
“In our case we can expand — from an operational sense — hundreds of miles away from our home ship,” he said.
The training took place in the Philippine Sea and near Palawan Island in the Philippines. The Boxer returned to its homeport at Camp Pendleton on Sunday.
A Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom prepares for takeoff from the expeditionary sea base USS Miguel Keith in the Philippine Sea on Sept. 28, 2024. (Staci Morris/U.S. Marine Corps)
The Venom utility helicopter, manufactured by Bell, can perform close air support, search-and-rescue, casualty evacuation and combat-assault missions. Its armaments include a variety of rockets and machine guns.
The Viper, also made by Bell, offers close air support, anti-armor, anti-air, armed reconnaissance and fire-support coordination capabilities.
The training aligns with the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 plan, which emphasizes expeditionary advanced base operations. These tactics involve mobile, distributed units operating within enemy missile ranges to seize islands, disrupt enemy operations and secure maritime dominance.
“When we say ‘expeditionary,’ part of that means being able to react quickly and get to places quickly,” Harper said. “The other aspect is being able to distribute not just for a short amount of time, but for a sustained amount of time. And so, using these newer or different forms of ships to move Marine forces and support Marine forces is the key.”
