The Nighthawks, Marine Experimental Helicopter Squadron One, MCAS Quantico, VA. Tail code
MX. Created in 1947 as
Marine Experimental Helicopter Squadron 1 in the wake of the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests to evaluate combat effectiveness of helicopters and develop doctrine and tactics for future Marine Corps use.
After 1962, charged with sole responsibility of transporting the President of the United States, first sharing the task with the US Army and exclusively from 1976.
The helicopters use the call sign
Marine One when the president is aboard. Currently assigned Sikorsky VH-3D and VH-60N ("White Tops") for the executive transport role and CH-53E and MV-22B ( all green livery ) for the support role.
Created on 1 Dec 1947 at Quantico to evaluate and test both helicopter airframes and tactics. HMX-1 more visible tasks since 7 Sep 1957, when President Eisenhowen took his first official helicopter flight has been to transport the US President, senior government figures and visiting Heads of State; since 1967 this role has been solely HMX-1s. This tends to eclipse its other important role of testing and training for the USMC.
NSS 2014