Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Quiboloy | Col. Dana Hessheimer, commander, 163rd Attack Wing, California Air National Guard,...... read more read more
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The California Air National Guard’s Moreno Valley-based 163rd Reconnaissance Wing has been renamed as the 163rd Attack Wing (ATKW). The wing received the official orders to re-designate its name July 1 by the order of the secretary of the Air Force, and the name change was made formal during a ceremony held at March Air Reserve Base July 11.
The wing converted from the remotely-piloted MQ-1B Predator to the MQ-9A Reaper and the name change reflects this conversion. The active duty Air Force has adopted the term “Attack” for its units that fly the Reaper.
The wing launched its last flight of the Predator on April 1 after eight years, 230 days, nine hours and 30 minutes of 24/7/365 combat operations supporting joint and coalition warfighters downrange. Along with the daily missions overseas, the Airmen of the 163rd supported and conducted civil support, search and rescue, and combat training exercises and simultaneously supported their flying training unit school house.
Airmen assigned to the 163rd took to the flight line and stood proudly in military formation as the historical orders were announced. The unfurling of the new wing flag took place for all to see as a part of the momentous occasion while Commander Col. Dana Hessheimer took a moment to share the history of the wing’s previous missions to remind the Airmen of their heritage.
“Our wing members are part of the unit’s history. They are experienced and dedicated to our United States Air Force mission,” said Hessheimer. “Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to both the mission and the people of the 163rd Attack Wing. I am proud to serve with each and every one of you.”
The wing recently received two significant awards including the 2015 Excellence in Aviation Award from the Flight Test Historical Foundation for achieving the first of its kind Air National Guard remotely piloted aircraft support to wild land firefighting during the 2013 Yosemite Rim Fire, providing the incident commander and CAL FIRE over 80 hours of persistent, actionable, real-time full motion video enabling perimeter monitoring and resource allocation decisions.
The wing also received the Winston P. Wilson trophy that is presented to the most outstanding Air National Guard unit equipped with fighter or reconnaissance aircraft. From Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2014, the wing flew 658 sorties and more than 10,900 combat flying hours including 10 troops-in-contact and 17 air-to-surface engagements in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“The dedicated and disciplined Airmen of the 163rd Attack Wing paired with the ever increasing capabilities of the MQ-9 ensures future relevancy of the wing across the spectrum of military and civil operations,” said Hessheimer. “Meeting challenges head-on and achieving success is in our long heritage and there is more to come.”
The newly designated 163rd ATKW started its legacy with their predecessor, the 411th Fighter Squadron, consisting of personnel from 373rd Fighter Group. Members of the 411th sailed from New York aboard the HMS Duchess of Bedford to Woodchurch, Kent, England to prepare for combat missions during WWII. The 411th supported General Patton’s Third Army and played an integral part in the Battle of the Bulge by flying attack after attack causing the Germans to retreat and eventually surrender in May 1945.
The 163rd has supported overseas contingency operations, operating remotely-piloted aircraft since August 2006 when they converted from an air refueling wing to a reconnaissance wing. During the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing era, the wing flew over 5,500 sorties exceeding 100,000 flight hours in support of operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn and Freedom Sentinel with up to three 24/7 combat air patrols during surge operations. The wing also flew over 1,070 training sorties exceeding 6,000 flight hours in support of Total Force MQ-1B Predator programmed flight training.
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.01.2015 18:33 |
| Story ID: | 177807 |
| Location: | RIVERSIDE, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 977 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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