163d Reconnaissance Wing

163d Attack Wing
163d Reconnaissance Wing MQ-1 and Chase plane
Active	1958-Present
Country	United States
Allegiance	California
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Wing
Role	UAV Ground Attack
Part of	California Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	March Joint Air Reserve Base, Riverside, California Detachment at: Southern California Logistics Airport, Victorville, California
Nickname(s)	Grizzlies
Tail Code	"CA"
Insignia
163d Reconnaissance Wing emblem

The 163d Attack Wing (163 ATKW) is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at March Joint Air Reserve Base, Riverside, California. If it were activated into federal service, elements of the Wing would be gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command and Air Education and Training Command.

The 163 ATKW is one of the first Air National Guard units to fly the MQ-1 Predator. The unit was featured in an ABC News story on January 12, 2010.

The mission of the 163 ATKW is to execute global unmanned aerial systems, combat support, and humanitarian missions by Air National Guard men and women.

The 163d Reconnaissance Wing consists of the following units:

On 17 May 1958, the California Air National Guard 196th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), at Ontario International Airport, was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 163d Fighter-Interceptor Group was established. The 196th FIS became the group's flying squadron. Other units assigned into the group were the 163d Material Squadron, 163d Air Base Squadron, and the 163d USAF Dispensary. The group's mobilization gaining command was Air Defense Command (ADC)

Initially flying North American F-86A Sabre day interceptors, the squadron upgraded to F-86Hs in 1959 and to Convair F-102 Delta Daggers in 1965. The F-102 was being phased out of active-duty units in the early 1960s and the 163d was one of the last units to replace its F-86 Sabres. The F-102, however, was obsolescent as an interceptor by the time it was received by the 163d. The Delta Darts soldiered into the early 1970s until they were retired to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.