Known colloquially as the "Phrog", and used in all Marine combat and peacetime environments since its introduction, the last Sea Knight rolled off the assembly line in February 1971. Still regularly flown by the Marine Corps, its longevity as a reliable airframe has led to such mantras as "phrogs phorever" and "never trust a helicopter under 30." While the United States Navy retired the airframe on September 24, 2004 , replacing it with the MH-60S Knighthawk, the Marine Corps plans to maintain its fleet until the MV-22 is fully fielded. In March of 2006 Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263 (HMM-263) was deactivated and redesignated VMM-263 to serve as the first MV-22 squadron. The replacement process is expected to continue through the other medium helicopter squadrons into 2014. |
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