Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA–U.S. Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Space Force Guardians commenced Exercise Winter Fury 22 on Jan. 31, base officials said.
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing used the F/A-18 and F-35B aircraft to conduct a long-range maritime strike on a target more than 1,000 nautical miles away.
“Winter Fury 22 is an opportunity for 3rd MAW to plan and execute wing-level aviation combat element warfighting,” said Maj. Mason Englehart, 3rd MAW command spokesperson. “We will stress-test our abilities and validate emerging concepts and technology in support of Force Design 2030. 3rd MAW and participating I Marine Expeditionary Force, 3rd Fleet, and allied units will operate inside a contested, distributed maritime environment, refining both maritime strike and command and control capabilities against a peer adversary.”
The 3rd MAW assets are scheduled to conduct fixed-wing operations in an austere environment against simulated peer adversary naval combatants. Additional exercise events include aerial refueling operations, airfield damage repair operations, as well as transporting and establishing a forward arming and refueling point.
Winter Fury 22 is the largest Marine aviation exercise on the West Coast and provides realistic, relevant training and opportunities to enhance warfighting readiness and capabilities in support of I MEF maritime campaigns. Subsequent evolutions will be conducted across several states and will use assets from all branches of the military. Aircraft from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar will operate at and in the vicinity of Kirtland Air Force Base, San Clemente Island, and other locations along the West Coast.
“The long-range strike evolution of Winter Fury allows 3rd MAW to execute a maritime strike against an adversarial surface combatant while using both aerial refueling and expeditionary forward arming and refueling points,” said Englehart. “The concepts employed in this evolution are vital to the success of the future fight against potential peer adversaries.”
Exercise Winter Fury 22 will continue through Feb. 18 and include a combination of virtual and real training evolutions that will allow commanders at tactical control command centers to make real-time decisions in simulated maritime conflicts from thousands of miles away. 3rd MAW squadrons will also execute training missions supporting expeditionary advanced base operations and anti-air warfare.
The 3rd MAW continues to “Fix, Fly and Fight” as the Marine Corps’ largest aircraft wing, and remains combat-ready, deployable on short notice, and lethal when called into action.
