HMH-461 Ironhorse CH-53K King Stallion Shoulder Patch
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461), 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461), the "Ironhorse," traces its lineage to 15 March 1944 when Marine Fighting Squadron 461 (VMF-461) was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station El Centro, California, flying the F4U Corsair—making it the oldest active Heavy Lift Helicopter Squadron in the Marine Corps. Reactivated on 12 January 1957 at MCAS New River as Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron (Medium) 461, the squadron became the first to operate the HR2S/CH-37C, the largest helicopter in the Marine Corps inventory at the time.
HMH-461 has achieved numerous Marine Corps aviation firsts: the first helicopters to aerial refuel using night vision goggles, the first to externally lift a Riverine Assault Craft, the first to load a CH-53E into a C-17 Globemaster, and the first to simultaneously lift two HMMWVs. During Operation Desert Storm, the Ironhorses deployed aboard USS Iwo Jima, and in January 1991, Detachment Delta flew nearly 500 miles from sea to execute the non-combatant evacuation of American citizens from war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia (Operation Eastern Exit). The squadron was the first Marine Corps helicopter unit deployed to Djibouti following the September 11 attacks, supporting special operations with Combined Joint Task Force—Horn of Africa.
During deployments to Afghanistan, HMH-461 moved more than 7.7 million pounds of cargo and carried over 35,000 passengers while conducting two TRAP missions. In 2013, the entire squadron deployed to Camp Bastion, moving 4.3 million pounds of cargo, 23,800 passengers, and completing over 130 tactical raids and assaults—earning the Keith B. McCutcheon Heavy Helicopter Squadron of the Year Award in both 2012 and 2014. In January 2022, HMH-461 made history once again by becoming the first operational unit in the Marine Corps to replace its CH-53E Super Stallions with the revolutionary CH-53K King Stallion, setting the record for the heaviest lift by a U.S. military helicopter outside developmental testing at 36,000 pounds.
Perfect For: HMH-461 Ironhorse members and veterans, MAG-29 personnel, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing service members, CH-53K King Stallion enthusiasts, CH-53E Super Stallion veterans, and heavy-lift helicopter aviation collectors.
The Marine Corps' pioneering heavy-lift squadron—first in the CH-37, first in NVG aerial refueling, and first in the revolutionary King Stallion.
