Officially Licensed USMC VMM-164 Knightriders Original Design Squadron Patch — Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 164 Embroidered Patch
The original Knightrider design—VMM-164's classic squadron patch featuring the armored knight that has represented Marine medium tiltrotor aviation at MCAS Camp Pendleton for decades.
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 164 (VMM-164), the "Knightriders," is assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California. Operating the Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft with the tail code "YT," the Knightriders provide assault support transport of combat troops, supplies, and equipment during amphibious operations and subsequent operations ashore. This original design squadron patch features the classic Knightrider emblem that has identified the squadron since its earliest days.
The squadron was activated on 7 February 1964 as Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 164 (HMM-164) at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Ana, California, and deployed to Vietnam in October 1965. Operating the CH-46 Sea Knight from Marble Mountain Air Facility and other forward locations throughout I Corps Tactical Zone, the Knightriders flew assault transport, resupply, and medical evacuation missions under intense combat conditions. The squadron's Vietnam service established the aggressive, warrior culture that the Knightrider name embodies—armored cavalry charging into battle from the sky.
Following its transition from the CH-46E Sea Knight to the MV-22B Osprey, VMM-164 has deployed as part of the 15th and 13th Marine Expeditionary Units, operating across the Western Pacific, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific region. The Osprey's revolutionary combination of helicopter-like vertical takeoff with turboprop-like speed and range has transformed the Knightriders' capability, allowing them to insert Marines at more than twice the speed and four times the range of the helicopter they replaced. This original design patch represents the enduring identity of a squadron that has carried Marines into harm's way for six decades.
Perfect For: VMM-164 Knightriders members and veterans, HMM-164 Vietnam-era alumni, MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor community members, MAG-39 and 3rd MAW personnel, MCAS Camp Pendleton Marines, and classic squadron patch collectors.
The Knightriders of VMM-164—the original design, the original spirit, carrying Marines into battle from Vietnam to the Indo-Pacific with the heart of an armored warrior.
