The Air National Guard’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing at March ARB, Calif., will soon host a fully accredited maintenance training schoolhouse for the MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. Under a memorandum of agreement between the ANG and Air Education and Training Command, the field training detachment of the wing’s 163rd Maintenance Group will train active duty, Reserve, and ANG personnel on Predator maintenance operations to augment MQ-1 training activities at Creech AFB, Nev., and help address the high demand for Predator training capability. The training will take place in a new facility on the base that is able to accommodate classes of up to 40 students per shift. The wing transitioned from KC-135 tankers to the Predator in late 2006. (March report by TSgt. Julie Avey)
Pentagon Task Force, FAA to Test Counter-Drone Laser
March 7, 2026
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force announced it would conduct a high-energy laser test with the Federal Aviation Administration less than a month after the use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace over El Paso, Texas.