is performed each day of the show and features an array of fixed-wing, helicopter and tilt-rotor aircraft—F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier jets, CH-53E Super Stallion, AH-1 Cobra and UH-1Y Venom helicopters, the MV-22 Osprey, and KC-130 Hercules tankers—all in the air simultaneously. The Hornet and Harrier jets take turns flying simulated attack runs and demonstrate mid-air refueling with the KC-130. The MV-22 Ospreys also demonstrate refueling, then deliver Marine Corps ground troops to the airfield, while the Cobra gunships simulate attack and air cover roles. (The MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft joined the MAGTF demo in 2010 and replaced the CH-46 Sea Knight entirely in 2014 as the aircraft was phased out of the Marine Corps inventory.) The UH-1 delivers a team of Marine infantry via a fast-rope insertion, where they simulate calling in a naval artillery barrage, then retrieves them in a Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction maneuver. On the ground, Marine infantry simulate an advance on an enemy position, joined by M-1 Abrams tanks, Light Armored Vehicles and Humvees. Throughout the demonstration the attacks are punctuated by controlled pyrotechnic explosions, culminating in a "wall of fire" detonation. An air and ground review concludes each performance. History Prior to 1998, the Miramar installation was operated by the U.S. Navy as Naval Air Station Miramar, and the Navy produced the Miramar Air Show. The Marine Corps aircraft squadrons based in the region at that time, and since shortly after WWII, were located at Marine Corps Air Station Tustin and Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Orange County, where the Marines had produced their own annual air show since 1950. In 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission announced that MCAS El Toro and MCAS Tustin would be closed and the Miramar facility transferred to the Marine Corps. The final Marine Corps air show at El Toro was held in 1997, drawing two million visitors; the final Navy-produced Miramar Air Show was held later the same year. In 1998, the Marine Corps took over production of the show at Miramar. The 2013 edition of the show was cancelled the day before it was scheduled to begin as a result of federal budget battles. The full three-day show resumed in 2014. The 2020 and 2021 Air Shows were canceled due to public health concerns associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. See also Marine Corps Air Station Miramar United States Marine Corps Aviation Active United States