An F/A-18C Hornet from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron

An F/A-18C Hornet from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323 (VMFA-323) assigned to Carrier Air Wing 17 on the USS Nimitz, which is part of Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG-11), prepares to refuel from a KC-10 Extender from the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, during a mission over Southwest Asia, July 31, 2020. The Hornet flew more than 900 nautical miles from the ship to the point of refueling. This is the last deployment of the legacy aircraft aboard U.S. Naval carriers. VMFA-323 was the first U.S. Marine Corp F/A 18 Hornet squadron to deploy on an aircraft carrier in October of 1985. In the future, the Navy will deploy the F/A-18E/F/G models of the aircraft on carriers, but the Marine Corp will transition to the F-35C Lightning II. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Tim Wade)