Officially Licensed USMC HMH-361 Flying Tigers Legacy Patch — Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron CH-53 Embroidered Patch
The Flying Tigers — from the atomic tests of the 1950s to seven decades of lifting Marines into the fight.
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361 (HMH-361), the "Flying Tigers," is one of the most storied helicopter squadrons in Marine Corps aviation history. Commissioned as Marine Transport Squadron 361 (HMR-361) on February 25, 1952, at MCAS Santa Ana, California, the squadron supported the Desert Rock atomic test exercise in Nevada — still the largest helicopter operation in history. Redesignated HMM-361, the Flying Tigers deployed to Da Nang in 1963 as one of the first helicopter squadrons in Vietnam, returning for two full combat tours and flying over 31,000 sorties during one seven-month deployment alone, including 2,312 MEDEVACs.
The Flying Tigers transitioned from the CH-46 Sea Knight to the CH-53D Sea Stallion in 1977, then to the CH-53E Super Stallion in 1990, deploying in support of Desert Storm, Somalia, Afghanistan, and becoming the first CH-53E composite squadron in MEU history. This legacy patch honors the full arc of the Flying Tigers' service — from the Phrog era through the Super Stallion age — capturing a squadron history that spans every major conflict and operation the Marine Corps has undertaken in the past seven decades.
Perfect For:
HMH-361 Flying Tigers members and veterans, HMM-361 and HMR-361 alumni, CH-46 and CH-53 community members, MAG-16 and 3rd MAW personnel, and Marine helicopter aviation legacy patch collectors.
Flying Tigers. Seven decades of heavy lift.
