People who love to see the nation’s military jets and equipment up close will get to check things out as the Power in the Pines air show returns to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in May.
The 2023 Power in the Pines Air & Space Open House is free and open to the public and it will be hosted at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst from Saturday to Sunday, 20-21 May 2023.
The base announced the return of the air show, which has typically been held every other year, but was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
The 2022 show was postponed to 2023 because the base needed to focus on staying ready for and supporting a number of missions, officials said at the time.
“Over the last year, JB MDL supported countless mission essential operations and we must continue to ensure readiness if the pace should once again quicken,” said Col. Wes Adams, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and the 87th Air Base Wing commander at the time.
The U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demonstration Team is set to headline the show, the announcement said, and additional performances will include the USA Golden Knights, C-17, P51 Heritage Flight, and many organic assets such as the KC-10, C-17, KC-46, KC-135, Marine Helicopters, to name a few.
The F-16C Falcon Block 50 is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft and the primary weapons system for the 20th Fighter Wing. It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in more than 30 years of operations including air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack! Don’t miss the chance to see the aircraft in action! Visit here to check out the Viper team members!
The Golden Knights Parachute Team are one of only three Department of Defense-sanctioned aerial demonstration teams. Check them out here!
The Warbird Thunder Airshow provides an exciting 12-minute airshow performance featuring the North American SNJ Texan, a former WWII Navy Advanced Training Aircraft. Visit here for a show preview!
Extreme Flight is a flying performance and air show team. They strive to empower and educate the next generation of aviators by combining pop culture with STEM concepts in an unprecedented way. Visit here for a preview of Extreme Flight!
Rick Volker and the Sukhoi SU-26M
Rick Volker is an International Aerobatic Club pilot. He’s rated in the unlimited category with a surface waiver. This gives him special permissions and extended privileges when performing at air shows. Visit here for a promo video!
Flying and static performer. “That’s All Brother” is a Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft that led the formation of 800 others from which approximately 13,000 U.S. paratroopers jumped on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the beginning of the liberation of France in the last two years of World War II.
Flying and static performer. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II, as a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters.
Flying and static performer. A force of sixteen B-25 medium size bombers lifted the hopes of a wounded America as pilot LT. Col. Jimmy Doolittle led his squadron on a strike against Japan in the months following Pearl Harbor. “Panchito” served with the 396th Bomb Squadron, 41st Bomb Group, 7th Air Force on Okinawa during summer 1945.
The Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engine helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for medevac-capable search and rescue (SAR) and armed Airborne Use of Force missions.
The F-15 Eagle is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to permit the Air Force to gain and maintain air supremacy over the battlefield. It can penetrate enemy defense and outperform and outfight any current enemy aircraft. The F-15 has electronic systems and weaponry to detect, acquire, track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy-controlled airspace. The weapons and flight control systems are designed so one person can safely and effectively perform air-to-air combat.
HMH-772 is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopters. The mission of HMH-772 is to provide the Active Component a Combat Ready Force to augment and reinforce regular forces in Major Regional Contingency (MRC) and to provide relief to these forces during times of high tempo operations.
Developed from the Huey transport helicopter, the Cobra was the first purpose-built helicopter gunship to enter military service. It was the mainstay of U.S. Army attack aviation from its combat debut in South Vietnam during 1967 until replaced by the AH-64 Apache in the 1980s and ’90s. They are part of HMLA-773 Detachment B which supports the Marine Air Ground Task Force Commander by providing offensive air support, utility support, armed escort, and airborne supporting arms coordination during expeditionary, joint, or combined operations.
After entering service in 2008, the UH-1Y replaced the USMC’s aging fleet of UH-1N Twin Huey light utility helicopters. They are part of HMLA-773 Detachment B which supports the Marine Air Ground Task Force Commander by providing offensive air support, utility support, armed escort, and airborne supporting arms coordination during expeditionary, joint, or combined operations.
The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is the U.S. Army’s primary medium-lift utility transport and air assault aircraft. It is a twin-engine, medium-lift utility helicopter, equipped with a single 4-bladed rotor and a single 4-bladed tail rotor.
McGuire’s C-17s play a significant role in the transport of air cargo and personnel around the world. Our crews were pivotal in Operation Allies Refuge in August 2021 where over 124,000 people were evacuated to various destinations around the world, including here at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, following the Taliban’s takeover of the country. The C-17’s large payload capacity and ability to operate on short runways made it an ideal choice for this mission.
141 ARS is part of the New Jersey ANG and operates the KC-135 to provide aerial refueling capability for the United States and her allies. The nozzle of the boom is interchangeable to provide boom or drogue refueling depending on mission requirements. The KC-135 is the most numerous tanker in the US fleet and capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical evacuations.
The Joint Base’s newest edition, the KC-46A tanker is approved by the U.S. Air Force for global deployments, including combat operations. With more in service globally than any tanker except the KC-135, the KC-46A is delivering fuel, data and multi-mission capability for the U.S. and allies around the globe.
A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 incorporates military-specific equipment for its primary roles of boom and drogue aerial refueling and transport. The KC-10 was used extensively for combat operations and was instrumental in the early stages of support for Ukraine and the evacuation efforts of Afghanistan. The aircraft is currently in divestment and expected to be phased out of service by the end of 2024.