Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121), also known as the "Green Knights", is a United States Marine Corps aircraft squadron operating the F-35B Lightning II. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW). Their tail code is VK and their radio call sign is "Combat".
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On December 8, 1989 the squadron was redesignated as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (All Weather) ONE TWO ONE (VMFA(AW)-121), becoming the first Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet night attack squadron. Slightly over one year later, the squadron deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm. During the Desert Storm Air Campaign, the squadron flew 557 sorties and 1,655.5 combat hours (more than any other Navy or Marine Corps tactical jet squadron).
Returning to MCAS El Toro following the cessation of hostilities, the Green Knights resumed the unit deployment rotation and relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California during August 1994 when custody of that installation was transferred from the Navy (as NAS Miramar) to the Marine Corps pursuant to BRAC action that also closed MCAS El Toro. The Green Knights made three deployments to the Western Pacific before returning to combat over Iraq in March 2000. During this 2000 deployment, the squadron flew 287 sorties in support of Operation Southern Watch (OSW) while based at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, providing much-needed operational tempo (OPTEMPO) relief to active duty USAF, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter squadrons that had been manning the OSW mission at Al Jaber since the end of the first Gulf War.
