A retired and demilitarized AV-8B Harrier II+ was inducted into the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, Feb. 14, 2025.
“This is a unique opportunity to preserve and share a vital chapter in aviation history while playing a valuable role in inspiring future generations,” said Col. Mark Amspacher, AV-8B Weapon Systems Program Office (PMA-257) Program Manager. “I hope this piece of Marine Corps history and embodiment of innovation, courage and dedication motivates younger generations to consider a career in aviation and service within the Marine Corps.”
This aircraft, BUNO 165574, initially entered service on Jan 14, 1986 as an AV-8B Day Attack aircraft and was later remanufactured as an AV-8B II+ Radar aircraft on July 31, 2001. It flew with Marine Attack Squadrons (VMAs) 311, 223, 214, 513, and 231, logging 1,539 combat flight hours and a grand total of 9,671 flight hours in support of multiple Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments, Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, humanitarian efforts and Request for Forces.
This is the second AV-8B Harrier II+ to be inducted into a museum as the Harrier continues to sundown through 2026. The first, BUNO 164560, was inducted into the Hickory Aviation Museum in Hickory, N.C., on July 15, 2024.
PMA-257, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 14, and VMA-231 oversaw the comprehensive process of demilitarizing the aircraft and ensured it was safe to display. VMA-231 Aviation Maintenance Officer, Maj. Robert M. “Robin” Weede, based in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., flew the aircraft to the Pima Air and Space Museum where visitors can learn about the aircraft’s unique engineering design and capabilities.
The Pima Air and Space Museum opened its doors to the public on May 8, 1976. It has grown to be the largest non-government funded aviation museum in the United States encompassing over 250,000 square feet of indoor display space and a collection of over 400 aircraft representing multiple decades of military, experimental, civil and commercial aircraft, and more than 125,000 artifacts. Its slogan, “Creating unlimited horizons in aerospace education through the preservation and presentation of the history of flight” highlights the importance of Harrier’s preservation initiatives.
It is a vertical/short takeoff and landing, light attack jet utilized by the U.S. Marine Corps, and the Italian and Spanish navies. In service for four decades, its mission is to destroy surface targets and escort friendly aircraft in austere conditions during expeditionary, joint and combined operations.
The platform provides close and deep air support, including armed reconnaissance and air interdiction, and conducts offensive and defensive anti-air warfare. The AV-8B Harrier II+ can operate from carriers and other suitable seagoing platforms, advanced bases, expeditionary airfields and remote tactical landing sites offering versatility, firepower and mobility to effectively counter enemies engaged by U.S. and allied ground forces.
NAVAIR release
