The Air Force has just identified the Air National Guard’s 163rd Air Refueling Wing at March ARB, Calif., as the recipient-to-be of a new MQ-1 Predator UAV unit. The 2005 BRAC sliced off the 163rd’s KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft, so the wing, like others caught in the BRAC-fall, has been in a new mission hunt. Officials say the unit designation will change to the 163rd Wing.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.