Predator mission comes to March

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. D. Clare
  • 163rd Air Refueling Wing
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. --  The future is here. And this is the future," members were told by Col. Al Aimar as the 163rd Air Refueling Wing's commander unveiled the capabilities of the MQ-1 Predator on March 4. 

And, for the first time since the Base Realignment and Closure decision was announced May 13, the Grizzlies had a chance to see a static display of the aircraft they will fly, support and maintain. 

With all of the wing's remaining KC-135R Tankers scheduled to be dispersed to other organizations by the beginning of June, the commander called his team together for a briefing on their new mission, and for a legacy photograph to be taken in front of one of the remaining Tankers. 

"We joined the military because we want to make a difference. And we did that in the (KC-)135. We flew it all over the world doing the mission the Air Force wanted us to do," Col. Aimar said. "We're going to have the opportunity to continue to make a difference. We're going to be on the forefront of one of the most important missions in the Air Force today. And our leaders couldn't have picked a better organization or group of people for this critical task." 

The colonel told wing personnel about an event that occurred on Sept. 11, 2005, near Mosul, Iraq. Early that morning, a Predator engaged an insurgent vehicle loaded with weapons. When the vehicle was struck by a hellfire missile, the explosion was so great it leveled a nearby building. 

"It was determined that the Predator had struck a vehicle-borne (Improvised Explosive Device). That vehicle could have hit one of our convoys and could have been devastating. We know this vehicle saves lives. It's in huge demand with our combat commanders. Our task is to get up to speed on this new mission as quickly as possible so we can start making a difference," Col. Aimar said. 

"Once combat commanders experience the capabilities of the Predator, they want more," said Dick Nester, a retired lieutenant colonel and former member of the 163rd ARW who represents General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. "I realize that people were at first skeptical, but that will change when they see the relevance (of the Predator)."
Nester, working with state leaders, was instrumental in helping the state lobby for the new mission and aerial vehicles. He said personnel who are passionate about flying "heavies" - manned aircraft - will quickly gravitate toward the weight of the Predator mission. 

"When (the unit) had F-4s, no one on the ground got to see the mission. With Tankers, you could stand behind a boomer and witness a refueling. Now, right here at March, unit members will see what happens in the meat of missions. This is incredibly exciting," Nester said. 

To demonstrate the demand for unmanned aerial vehicles, Col. Aimar noted the accomplishments of the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron, which is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. In the past year, the squadron participated in more than 222 separate raids, engaged in 145 force protection actions, fired 32 Hellfire missiles, surveyed 18,000 targets, escorted 21 convoys and flew 1,800 sorties, totaling more than 70,000 flying hours. 

According to Col. Aimar, the wing will soon be redesignated and transferred from Air Mobility Command to Air Combat Command. Because of current airspace restrictions, the vehicles will not fly from March in the near future. Wing officials are surveying sites at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the former George Air Force Base, Calif., General Atomics' Gray Buttes-El Mirage Test Facility, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twenty-nine Palms. 

Already, the Wing is anticipating what a new manning document might hold and preparing personnel for realignment. 

"There's a lot going on. But Airmen remain our priority," Col. Aimar said. "When BRAC came along, it looked like so many positions were going away. I lost sleep trying to figure out what to do. We quit hiring and dropped over 100 positions in case we lost them. No one has to worry about not having a job now. If you want to be a part of this new mission, we're going to find you a job. And that's the way it is."