VMFA-533 Hawks Key Ring Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 533 (VMFA-533) — "Hawks" The Hawks of VMFA-533 were commissioned on 1 October 1943 as Marine Night Fighter Squadron 533 (VMF(N)-533) at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina — one of only three night fighter squadrons activated in the Marine Corps during World War II. Originally known as "Black Mac's Killers" after their first commanding officer Major Marion M. Magruder, the squadron was equipped with radar-equipped Grumman F6F-5N Hellcats. In May 1945, the squadron completed the longest over-water flight by single-engine military aircraft of the war, flying 1,004 nautical miles from Engebi to Saipan. Between 14 May and 29 June 1945, VMF(N)-533 claimed 30 Japanese aircraft shot down by radar at night without a single operational loss — a night fighter record — and produced the Marine Corps' first night fighter ace, Captain Robert Baird. The Hawks transitioned through an extraordinary succession of aircraft: the F7F Tigercat, F2H Banshee, F9F Cougar, A-4 Skyhawk, and the A-6A Intruder, with which they deployed to Chu Lai, Vietnam from 1967 to 1969, accumulating over 10,000 combat sorties and earning the Commandant's Aviation Efficiency Trophy. Transitioning to the F/A-18D Hornet in 1992, the Hawks became the first all-weather fighter attack squadron in 2nd MAW, supported NATO operations from Aviano Air Base, flew 111 combat sorties during Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia, and earned a Presidential Unit Citation during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. In late 2024, VMFA-533 received their first F-35B Lightning II aircraft at MCAS Beaufort, ushering in a new era of fifth-generation capability. Perfect For: VMFA-533 Hawks veterans and active personnel, MCAS Beaufort community members, night fighter aviation historians, MAG-31 and 2nd MAW alumni, and F-35B Lightning II enthusiasts. This key ring carries the legacy of a squadron that pioneered night combat aviation and continues to lead Marine fighter innovation into the fifth-generation era.
