Officially Licensed USMC VMFA-311 Tomcats F-35 Coin — Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311 Challenge Coin
The Fighting Tomcats enter the fifth-generation era—VMFA-311, one of the Marine Corps' most battle-tested fighter squadrons, now prowling the skies in the F-35C Lightning II from MCAS Miramar.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311 (VMFA-311), the "Tomcats," was commissioned on 1 December 1942 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The squadron flew the F4F Wildcat and later the F4U Corsair during World War II, deploying to the Pacific Theater where it participated in combat operations across the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, and Okinawa. During the Korean War, VMF-311 flew the F9F Panther and the AU-1 Corsair, accumulating over 18,000 combat sorties—one of the highest totals of any Marine squadron in the conflict—and producing notable aviators including future astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn, who shot down three MiGs during his exchange tour with the Air Force while assigned to the squadron.
The Tomcats transitioned through multiple airframes over the decades, flying the F-4 Phantom II and later the F/A-18 Hornet, deploying in support of Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Based at MCAS Miramar, California, under Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, VMFA-311 carried the tail code "WL" and built a reputation as one of the most operationally proficient fighter attack squadrons in Marine Corps aviation.
This challenge coin commemorates VMFA-311's transition to the F-35C Lightning II—the carrier-variant of the Joint Strike Fighter that represents the cutting edge of fifth-generation stealth fighter technology. The F-35C brings unprecedented sensor fusion, low-observable stealth capability, and advanced weapons systems to the Marine Corps' fighter community, ensuring the Tomcats remain at the forefront of Marine aviation lethality for decades to come.
Perfect For: VMFA-311 Tomcats members and veterans, F-35C Lightning II community members, MAG-11 and 3rd MAW personnel, MCAS Miramar Marines, Marine Corps fighter pilot enthusiasts, and challenge coin collectors.
The Fighting Tomcats of VMFA-311—from Corsairs over the Pacific to Lightning IIs over Miramar, eight decades of aerial dominance with no end in sight.
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