Marine Corps Installations West

U.S. Marines and sailors participate in a COVID-19 patient transportation rehearsal of concept on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, April 10, 2020. Two MV-22B Ospreys transported a medical team and a simulated COVID-19 patient from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, for treatment at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. The exercise was designed to test and validate the process to safely transport and treat an infected patient. Aircraft and service members from three West Coast installations took part in the training. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Elizabeth Gerber)

U.S. Marines with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Air Wing, conduct an ordnance shoot using UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper helicopters during a training exercise on Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, California, July 15, 2019. The purpose of the training was to strengthen the aircrews' gunnery skills and enhance their combat readiness. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Noah Rudash)

Marine Corps Installations West is comprised of five Marine Corps installations throughout California and Arizona. The bases and air stations are fundamental to the combat readiness of Marine Corps operating forces and integral to the quality of life for Marines, Sailors and their families. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Noah Rudash)

The first air facility in Yuma was constructed in 1928 for military and civilian use. On July 20, 1962, the designation was formally changed to the present, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. MCAS Yuma continues to be the busiest Marine Corps air station in the Department of the Navy for air operations. With access to 2.8 million acres for bombing, aviation training ranges, and superb flying weather, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma supports 80 percent of the Marine Corps air-to-ground aviation training. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Noah Rudash)

A collection of news coverage from Marine Corps Installations - West May 2016.

The first air facility in Yuma was constructed in 1928 for military and civilian use. When the United States entered World War II, an air base was erected and by early 1943, Yuma Army Air Base began graduating classes of pilots. The base became one of the busiest flying schools in the nation. At the end of the war, all flight activity here ceased and the area was partially reclaimed by the desert. In 1951, the Air Force reactivated the base, which was later transferred to the Navy in 1959. On July 20, 1962, the Base's designation was changed to Marine Corps Air Station. MCAS Yuma is one of the Marine Corps' premier aviation training bases. With access to 2.8 million acres of bombing and aviation training ranges and superb flying weather, MCAS Yuma supports 80 percent of the Corps' air-to-ground aviation training. Each year, the air station hosts numerous units and aircraft from U.S. and NATO forces. The ideal weather and location along the Colorado River make Yuma and the surrounding area an oasis in the southwestern Sonoran Desert. Nestled in five square miles just southeast of Yuma, the air station is home to a number of tenant units including Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1, Marine Aircraft Group-13, Marine Wing Support Squadron-371, Marine Fighter Training Squadron-401, Marine Air Control Squadron-1, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 13 and Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 4 and Combat Service Support Detachment-16. The main runway has been extended to 13,300 feet, or enough concrete for 37 miles of two-lane highway. MAWTS-1 hosts the biannual Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) aboard MCAS Yuma and is recognized as the most comprehensive graduate level aviation course of instruction in the world today. On average, over 8,000 U.S. Marines log more than 8,000 flight hours during more than 5,000 sorties each year. WTI trains aviators, infantry, artillery and armory officers in addition to their service support personnel in advanced Marine Air Ground Task Force tactics, techniques and procedures.