The last of the KC-135s of the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Air Refueling Wing has taken flight from the unit’s home at March ARB, Calif., reports the Riverside Press-Enterprise. The Air Guardsmen are now embracing their new mission—operating Predator unmanned aerial vehicles. The unit will have a name change and switches operational control from Air Mobility Command to Air Combat Command with its new mission. The 163rd airmen are working at Nellis AFB, Nev., with the UAVs, until construction upgrades at March are complete later this year.
The U.S. military conducted strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz on May 7, as the conflict with Iran flared up again—though officials say the ceasefire remains in effect.