Officially Licensed USMC VMFA-121 Green Knights Squadron 2023 Patch — The Pacific's First F-35B Squadron
The Green Knights didn't just transition to the F-35. They wrote the playbook.
VMFA-121 "Green Knights" is a Marine Fighter Attack Squadron flying the F-35B Lightning II out of MCAS Iwakuni, Japan under the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and III Marine Expeditionary Force. Originally commissioned in 1941, the Green Knights have seen continuous service through World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the modern era. In 2012, VMFA-121 became the first operational F-35B squadron in the Marine Corps, transitioning from the F/A-18 Hornet to the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the Lightning II. The squadron declared Initial Operational Capability with the F-35B in July 2015, and in January 2017 relocated to MCAS Iwakuni — making them the first permanently forward-deployed F-35 squadron in the world. From Iwakuni, the Green Knights provide fifth-generation stealth capability to III MEF and serve as a cornerstone of American air power in the Indo-Pacific theater. This 2023 patch marks another year of the Green Knights leading the way in F-35 operations across the Western Pacific.
Perfect For: VMFA-121 Green Knights Marines past and present, F-35B Lightning II pilots and maintainers, MCAS Iwakuni personnel, 1st MAW squadrons, and anyone who knows that the future of Marine aviation lives in the Pacific.
Green Knights — first in the F-35, first in the fight.
