The Delta Daggers soldiered into the early 1970s until they were retired to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

In October 1982, the 163rd assumed a tactical fighter role flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II.

On 21 March 1987, Captain Dean Paul Martin ("Dino", son of entertainer Dean Martin), a pilot in the 196th Tactical Fighter Squadron crashed his F-4C into San Gorgonio Mountain, California shortly after departure from March AFB during a snow storm.

After the end of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the phaseout of the RF-4C Phantom II with the Air National Guard was accelerated.

In one of the highest profile military events of the year, nearly 100 members and three KC-135R aircraft from the 163rd wing deployed in support of Operation Allied Force.

The 163rd flew combat missions around-the-clock refueling North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) aircraft, including complex night formation sorties with the F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter.

This extensive aircraft modernization project meant intensive aircrew training and was expected to extend the life of the 40-year-old Boeing jet beyond the year 2020.

As part of Air Expeditionary Force 9, the 163rd "Grizzlies" also sent personnel to Kuwait, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and Turkey from October through December 2000.

The wing was the first Air National Guard unit to receive the MQ-1 Predator armed unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and was the first to become a fully functional ANG Flying Training Unit (FTU) and to operate a Field Training Detachment (FTD) for the Predator.

The wing operates its MQ-1s out of March ARB, but also uses the restricted airspace near Edwards Air Force Base in southern California for training, operating a detachment from Southern California Logistics Airport, the former George Air Force Base, northeast of March ARB in Victorville.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency