Official VMFA-314 Black Knights F-35 Shoulder Patch

Official VMFA-314 Black Knights F-35 Shoulder Patch — From Phantoms to Lightning, the Black Knights Ride Again

The Black Knights have been leading from the front since Korea. Now they do it in the fifth generation.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) — the 'Black Knights' — is one of the Marine Corps' most decorated fighter squadrons, with a combat lineage that stretches from the Korean War through the transition to the most advanced fighter aircraft ever built. Commissioned on June 1, 1952, at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, as Marine Fighter Squadron 314 (VMF-314), the Black Knights deployed to Korea and flew the F9F Panther in combat before transitioning through the F-9 Cougar and F-8 Crusader during the Cold War years. In the 1960s, the squadron became one of the first Marine units to fly the legendary F-4 Phantom II, and it was with the Phantom that the Black Knights went to war in Vietnam, flying combat missions from Da Nang and Chu Lai. VMFA-314 completed multiple combat tours in Southeast Asia, providing close air support, air defense, and deep strike missions before rotating stateside. The Black Knights went on to fly the F/A-18A Hornet starting in 1982, becoming one of the Marine Corps' premier strike fighter squadrons, and later transitioned to the F/A-18C. Based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, under Marine Aircraft Group 11 and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, VMFA-314 made history when it was selected as one of the Marine Corps' F-35B Lightning II squadrons — bringing the Black Knights into the fifth-generation era. The F-35B combines stealth, advanced sensors, and short takeoff/vertical landing capability into a single platform that fundamentally changes how the Marine Corps fights from sea and shore. This shoulder patch marks VMFA-314's entry into the Lightning era — a new chapter for a squadron that has been rewriting the book on Marine fighter aviation since 1952.

Perfect For: VMFA-314 Black Knights pilots and maintainers past and present, F-35B Lightning II community members, F/A-18 Hornet and F-4 Phantom alumni, MAG-11 and 3rd MAW personnel, MCAS Miramar Marines, and anyone who respects a squadron that has led every generation of Marine fighter aviation.