Marine Aircraft Group 49 Marine Aircraft Group 49 is a United States Marine Corps reserve aviation unit based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove , Pennsylvania that is currently composed of one CH - 46 Sea Knight , one CH - 53E Super Stallion , three AH - 1W Super Cobra , one KC - 130 and a maintenance and logistics squadron . Due to a re - organization within Marine aviation , the group is set to move to McGuire Air Force Base , New Jersey by 2011 . History . 1940s & 1950s . On February 26 , 1946 , Marine Air Reserve Training Command ( MARTC ) activated at Naval Air Station Glenview , Illinois and three Marine Aviation Detachments ( MADS ) . Within a year , 21 more MADS formed consisting of 24 Marine Fighter Squadrons ( VMF ) , and eight Ground Control Intercept Squadrons ( GCIS ) . One of these squadrons , VMF - 451 , was established at NAS Willow Grove in April 1946 . On February 1 , 1947 , GCIS - 17 organized at Willow Grove under the MAD . In August 1950 , Reserve Marines from GCIS - 17 mobilized for the Korean War and remained on active duty until reorganization of the squadron in October 1951 . VMF - 451 was activated as a unit on January 3 , 1951 for Korean service . On June 24 , 1950 , GCIS - 26 formed in New York . On August 3 , 1950 the unit mobilized until June 30 , 1952 , when members returned from active duty . In 1952 , upon reorganization of the Marine Corps Reserve , 17 of the 21 MADS remained , all staffed by active duty Marines . On March 1 , 1954 GCIS - 26 , Brooklyn , New York was re - designated a Marine Air Control Squadron ( MACS ) to reflect the Marine Corps - wide re - designation of many such units . On April 15 , 1958 , Helicopter Transport Squadron - 772 was established . In October 1951 , MACS - 17 began reorganization at NAS Willow Grove after reservists were released from active duty . In 1959 , Marine Air Reserve Group 25 ( MARG - 25 ) was the senior Marine Reserve command at NAS Willow Grove , with VMF - 511 attached . The 4th MAW experienced great change in 1962 when Marine Aircraft Group 43 was reactivated on July 1 along with Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron - 43 ( H & MS - 43 ) . Helicopter Transport Squadron - 772 was re - designated Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron - 772 ( HMM - 772 ) on April 1 , 1962 . On February 1 , 1963 , MACS - 26 was re - designated Marine Air Traffic Control Unit 73 ( MATCU - 73 ) , and on March 1 , Marine Air Base Squadron - 43 ( MABS - 43 ) was reactivated at NAS Willow Grove . 1960 through present . A major 4th MAW reorganization on February 1 , 1965 saw H & MS - 43 , MABS - 43 , VMF - 511 , and MACS - 17 all reassigned to MAG - 43 . MATCU - 73 was assigned to the 4th MAW and remained in New York until November 1 , 1965 when it was reassigned to MAG - 43 and transferred to NAS Willow Grove on May 1 , 1967 . In 1971 , HMM - 772 transitioned to the CH - 53 Sea Stallion helicopter , was re - designated HMH - 772 and transferred to MAG - 49 at NAS Willow Grove . In September 1972 , MAG - 43 was re - designated MAG - 49 , and MAG - 49 Headquarters moved from NAS Lakehurst , New Jersey to NAS Willow Grove . In August 1991 , MACS - 48 Det B mobilized to conduct Air Traffic Control Operations at MCAS Yuma , MCAS El Toro and MCAS Camp Pendleton , at the onset of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm . Members of MWSS - 473 , Det A were mobilized to MCAS New River , to support station operations while active duty personnel were deployed to Southwest Asia . Individual members of MAG - 49 , reserve and active duty , mobilized to serve with various units in the Saudi Arabian desert . HMH - 772 mobilized shortly after the start of Operation Desert Storm in support of the Marine Corps ' Unit Deployment Program ( UDP ) . Initially sent to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing to augment with its sister squadron from NAS Dallas , HMH - 772 was reassigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at MCAS El Toro , CA to prepare for overseas deployment to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at MCAS Futenma , Okinawa , Japan . While deployed , HMH - 772 participated in training deployments and helped evacuation efforts in the Republic of the Philippines ( RP ) following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo . On October 18 , 1997 , Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron - 773 , Detachment A ( HMLA - 773 , Det A ) activated at MAG - 49 , NAS Willow Grove with 21 Marines and 9 aircraft . In 1998 , HMH - 772 transitioned from the Sikorsky CH53D Sea Stallion to the CH - 53E Super Stallion helicopter . In 2000 , the Detachment changed from HMLA - 773 , Detachment A to HMLA - 775 , Detachment A , in accordance with a 4th MAW unit realignment strategy . During March 2000 , HMLA - 775 Detachment A moved from Willow Grove to Cambria Airport , Johnstown , Pennsylvania . In 2008 HMLA - 775 Detachment A became HMLA - 773 Detachment B . In 2001 , Marine Air Control Squadron 24 ( MACS - 24 ) , Detachment B , NAS Willow Grove , was deactivated . In 2011 , MAG - 49 moved from NAS Willow Grove to Joint Base Macguire / Dix / Lakehurst .