QUICK FACTS
Created Jan 0001
Status Verified Sarcastic
Type Existential Dread
Keywords
icao airport code, faa lid, jacksonville, north carolina, united states marine corps, keith b. mccutcheon, camp geiger, department of defense, us marine corps

Marine Corps Air Station New River

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Contents
  • 1. Overview
  • 2. Etymology
  • 3. Cultural Impact

You want an article rewritten. Fine. Don’t expect sunshine and rainbows. Just the facts, meticulously detailed, with a side of existential weariness.

Marine Corps Air Station New River

Marine Corps Air Station New River (MCAS New River), identified by ICAO airport code KNCA and FAA LID NCA, is a pivotal United States Marine Corps installation situated near Jacksonville, North Carolina , in the eastern expanse of the state. This air station is primarily dedicated to helicopter and tilt-rotor operations, playing a crucial role in the projection of United States Marine Corps power. In 1972, the airfield itself was bestowed the honor of being named McCutcheon Field, a tribute to General Keith B. McCutcheon , an individual widely recognized as one of the foundational figures in the evolution of Marine Corps helicopter aviation. The strategic proximity of MCAS New River to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune allows for the sharing of certain facilities, notably with Camp Geiger , fostering a degree of operational synergy.

Site Information

Location

MCAS New River is located in North Carolina , within the United States .

Coordinates : 34°42′26″N 077°26′43″W / 34.70722°N 77.44528°W / 34.70722; -77.44528

Site History

The genesis of what is now MCAS New River can be traced back to 1941, when an initial tract of 29 parcels of land, comprising a modest tobacco farm, was acquired for the sum of $64,502. This acquisition was driven by an operational imperative: officials at Camp Lejeune were actively seeking an existing airfield capable of supporting aircraft operations in conjunction with amphibious assault training. Captain Barnett Robinson, a member of Marine Glider Group 71 , conducted the reconnaissance and concluded that the available farmland possessed the necessary attributes to fulfill the Marine Corps’ requirements.

Initially, the nascent installation was placed under the operational purview of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune . Its inaugural operational unit, VMSB-331 , arrived from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point on March 9, 1943. A few months later, on June 1, VMSB-331 was bifurcated to establish VMSB-332 . Both squadrons, however, were subsequently relocated to Bogue Field . The period from mid-1943 through August 1944 saw the station host Marine bombing squadrons VMB-433 , VMB-443 , and VMB-612 , all of which operated the B-25 Mitchell bomber.

A significant milestone occurred on April 26, 1944, when the land surrounding New River and Peterfield Point—the latter named after the original proprietor of the land that formed part of the government purchase—was officially commissioned as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Camp Lejeune. This act formally delineated the airfield as a distinct entity from Camp Lejeune, marking its official inception as a separate Marine Corps installation. In the ensuing years, the station’s initial hangar, the King Air hangar, was transported from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island , South Carolina , to facilitate the training of paratrooper Marines, glider troops, and air delivery personnel.

With the conclusion of World War II , MCAAF Camp Lejeune was deactivated and placed on caretaker status, functioning as an outlying airfield for MCAS Cherry Point . This status proved ephemeral. In 1951, the installation was reactivated and redesignated as Marine Corps Air Facility Peterfield Point, Camp Lejeune. Merely a year later, its designation shifted once more, becoming Marine Corps Air Facility New River. July 1954 witnessed the arrival of the first operational Marine Aircraft Group, MAG-26 , which was transferred from its previous assignment at MCAS Cherry Point.

The area underwent another substantial transformation in 1968 when it was recommissioned as Marine Corps Air Station (Helicopter) New River. This designation change reflected its evolution from a modest training ground into a significant operational airfield, particularly emphasizing its role in rotary-wing aviation.

In a rather unexpected turn for a military installation, MCAS New River played host to the Global Rallycross racing series during Independence Day weekend in 2015. This event was expanded to include two rounds in 2016, but it did not return for the subsequent 2017 season.

More recently, in January 2022, HMH-461 achieved a notable distinction by becoming the first operational unit within the Marine Corps to transition from the CH-53E Super Stallion to the significantly upgraded CH-53K King Stallion .

MV-22 Osprey

MCAS New River holds the distinction of being the first Marine Corps base to receive the advanced MV-22 Osprey . This remarkable aircraft possesses the unique capability to operate as both a fixed-wing airplane for speed and range, and as a helicopter for vertical take-off and landing. The MV-22 Osprey has systematically replaced the aging CH-46E Sea Knights across the east coast, with the notable exceptions of aircraft assigned to HMX-1 and HMM-774 . Currently, seven operational Osprey squadrons are based at MCAS New River: VMM-261 , VMM-263 , VMM-162 , VMM-365 , VMM-266 , VMM-264 , and the training squadron VMMT-204 .

Based Units

The following flying and notable non-flying units are based at MCAS New River:

United States Marine Corps

United States Navy

  • Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) – Responsible for providing aviation technical training to Navy and Marine Corps personnel.

United States Air Force

Education

Residents of MCAS New River are zoned for schools administered by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). The sole educational institution located directly on the air station premises is Delalio Elementary School. For secondary education, students attend Brewster Middle School and Lejeune High School , both of which are situated within Camp Lejeune and serve the broader community.

See Also

Notes

  • ^ “Airport Diagram – New River MCAS Mc Cutcheon Fld (KNCA)” (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration . June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  • ^ “Field Named For McCutcheon” (PDF). Naval Aviation News. Washington D.C.: Naval Historical Center . September 1972. p. 42. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  • ^ Jordan, Dave; Cardin, Rachael (July 3, 2016). “MCAS New River hosts Red Bull Global Rallycross”. WITN-TV . Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  • ^ “GRC race preview: MCAS New River”. Motorsport.com . July 1, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  • ^ Wilde, Dominik (February 2, 2017). “Red Bull GRC announce 2017 schedule”. The Checkered Flag. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  • ^ Jennings, Gareth (January 27, 2022). “USMC stands up first operational CH-53K unit”. Janes.com. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  • ^ Kaminski, Tom (2019). “Aircraft of the US Marine Corps”. US Navy & Marine Corps Air Power Yearbook 2019. Key Publishing. pp. 88–99.
  • ^ “MCAS New River Units”. MCAS New River. US Marine Corps. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  • ^ “2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Onslow County, NC” (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved July 5, 2022. - Text list - “Camp Lejeune Schools” refers to the DoDEA schools.
  • ^ “DeLalio ES: About Our School”. Delalio Elementary School. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  • ^ “Camp Lejeune Community Schools Attendance Areas” (PDF). Department of Defense Education Activity . Retrieved July 5, 2022.