Drone-Flying NY Air National Guard Unit Marks Name Change

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — New York National Guard officials are holding a ceremony to mark the renaming of an Air Guard unit that has switched from flying cargo planes to operating remotely piloted aircraft.

The 107th Airlift Wing based at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station was officially redesignated the 107th Attack Wing last Wednesday. The 107th had been flying C-130 Hercules in conjunction with the Air Force Reserve's 914th Airlift Wing since 2008.

As an Air Guard attack wing, the 107th will now operate MQ-9 Reaper drones, the same aircraft operated by the Air Guard's 174th Attack Wing in Syracuse.

Maj. Gen. Anthony German, head of the state's National Guard organization, will join the commander and members of the 107th for a ceremony Tuesday in Niagara Falls and to talk about the redesignation.