USMC Helicopter Squadrons
$60.00
Only 1 item left in stock
Antique
Full Color
Bulk Patch Pricing
Leather
Minimum order: 10
10+ Antique: $55.00 each
10+ Full Color Hand Painted: $95.00 each
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Officially Licensed USMC VMFA-542 Tigers Leather Patches — Night Fighters, Harrier Pioneers, and Now the Lightning
From night-fighting Hellcats over Okinawa to F-35B Lightning IIs at Cherry Point, the Tigers have always been ahead of the curve.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542 (VMFA-542) — the 'Tigers' — is one of the Marine Corps' most distinguished fighter squadrons, with a combat history that stretches from the night skies over Okinawa to the cutting edge of fifth-generation stealth aviation. Commissioned on March 6, 1944, as Marine Night Fighter Squadron 542 at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, the Tigers flew F6F Hellcats on night combat air patrols from Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, destroying eighteen Japanese aircraft and earning the Presidential Unit Citation. The squadron produced the first night fighter aces on Okinawa. After the war, the Tigers transitioned to the F3D Skyknight — the first carrier-borne jet night fighter — and trained pilots for Korea, where F3Ds destroyed more enemy aircraft than all other Navy types. The squadron flew the F4D Skyray, then transitioned to the F-4B Phantom and deployed to Vietnam in 1965, supporting the 7th Marines in Operation Starlite — the first major American operation of the war. The Tigers flew four combat tours in Southeast Asia, dropping over 20,000 tons of ordnance. Reactivated in 1972 with the AV-8A Harrier, the Tigers became the second Marine Harrier squadron and were named V/STOL Squadron of the Year two consecutive years. They transitioned to the AV-8B Harrier II in 1986 and flew the Harrier for decades. In December 2022, VMA-542 retired the Harrier and began transitioning to the F-35B Lightning II, becoming the first operational fifth-generation squadron in II MEF. These leather patches carry the Tigers' remarkable aviation legacy.
Perfect For: VMFA-542 Tigers Marines past and present, F-35B Lightning II, AV-8B Harrier, F-4 Phantom, and night fighter community veterans, MCAS Cherry Point and MAG-14 personnel, and anyone who has served with the Tigers.
If you want to swap patches on/off gear, choose hook & loop (velcro). If you’re attaching permanently to uniforms or fabric, choose sew-on. If you want quick application on compatible fabric, choose iron-on / heat seal (when offered). Backing options are shown on the page and update based on the variant you select.
Size is shown on the product page and updates with the variant you select (example: 3"). If you’re mounting on a hat or small panel, choose smaller sizes; for plate carriers and display boards, larger sizes fit better.
If the product is officially licensed, it will say “Officially Licensed” in the title and/or in the product details. If it doesn’t, it’s still a legitimate product—just not part of a licensed program.
Yes. If you see a note like “bulk reruns available,” that means we can support group orders or reruns. If you don’t see it, contact us with the unit/squadron and quantity and we’ll confirm options.
Yes—custom solutions are available (patches, name tags, lanyards, apparel). Use the custom request page and include artwork, size, backing preference, and quantity.
