Marine Aircraft Group 26, Home of the Osprey
Marine Corps Air Station New River Joint Public Affairs
Story by Cpl. Brandon Dulaney
Date: 03.01.2010
Posted: 03.02.2010 01:36

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. - As of Monday, all East Coast Marine tiltrotor squadrons will fall under Marine Aircraft Group 26 as part of a MAG realignment designed to maximize the effectiveness of aviation assets.

Overall, this move will allow the personnel of MAG-26 to focus on one platform and fine tune its efforts in supporting that platform and Marine Corps aviation as a whole, said Lt. Col. Joe Adkins, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26 commanding officer.

The realignment will make all non-tiltrotor squadrons part of MAG-29, giving MAG-26 sole responsibility for the Osprey squadrons aboard the Air Station.

"The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing's Marine tiltrotor squadrons are being aligned under one Marine aircraft group, MAG-26, in order to capitalize on the MV-22B Osprey's unique flight capabilities and strengths above and beyond conventional rotary-wing aircraft," said Lt. Col. Robert Morgan, MAG-26 operations officer.

Previously, VMM-261, 264 and 266 all fell under MAG-26 but are now joined by VMM-162, 263 and 365 .

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 and Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 will now be joined with HML/A-167 and HMH-461, along with various other support squadrons.

Coinciding with the new arrangement of aircraft aboard the Air Station, MALS-26 has made a little change of its own.

The squadron unveiled its new logo depicting a lone eagle design, doing away with its previous design which included an eagle flanked by an AH-1W Cobra, UH-1N Huey, an MV-22B Osprey, CH-53E Super Stallion and the long gone CH-46E Sea Knight.

"We wanted a new logo which represented us as a squadron and who we support," said Maj. Martin Starta, MALS-26 executive officer. "Back in 2003, we added the MV-22B Osprey to the logo but we still had the CH-46E on there. Now, we no longer support the CH-46E so it was time for a change."

One year ago, while deployed to Al Asad Airbase in Al Anbar province, Iraq, the squadron submitted a change of insignia request due to the fact that MALS-26 no longer supported the CH-46E.

A little over a year later, their request was granted and now MALS-26 proudly displays their new logo.

"Our new logo has removed any depiction of aircraft," said Starta. "By changing the flying eagle to a powerful eagle flexing its wing signifies the power of Marine Corps aviation."