HISTORY OF THE 20 FIGHTER GROUP - Shaw Air Force Base

Upper Heyford Becomes Desert Storm Evacuation Center
During this period, RAF Upper Heyford was designated as the Regional Evacuation Control Center. To accomplish this
mission, the 20 th activated the contingency hospital complex to support Desert Storm. The wing accomplished major
facility upgrades at RAF Bicester, RAF Little Rissington, and RAF
Croughton in record time. The wing provided food, transportation
and lodging requirements, as well as personnel, recreational,
legal, and financial services to support 5,000 augmenting
personnel and an anticipated 2,000 patients.
In the first 6 months of 1991, Transient Alert personnel, in support
of Desert Storm, serviced and launched the largest number of
transient aircraft in the history of RAF Upper Heyford -- 1,408
aircraft.
On 9 March 1991, 27 of the 28 deployed F-111Es and EF-111As,
along with the support personnel, returned home from Incirlik AB,
Turkey.
The 42 nd ECS redeployed to Incirlik in support of Operation
Provide Comfort on 6 April 1991.
In May, 42 nd ECS Avionics Maintenance Unit personnel -- deployed to Saudi Arabia since December 1990 -- returned to
Upper Heyford. Other 42 nd ECS/AMU personnel rotated into Saudi in the same month.
Eight months after it was assigned to the 20 th TFW, the 2168 th Communications Squadron was redesignated the 620 th
Communications Squadron on 1 May 1991.
20 th Wing Organizational Growth
On 16 July, three units were attached to the 20 th TFW, the 850 th Munitions Maintenance Squadron at RAF Welford, the
7501 st Air Base Squadron at RAF Greenham Common, and Detachment 1, 7501 st Air Base Squadron at RAF Welford.
Returning to normal operations, 20 th TFW aircrews participated in the NATO Central Enterprise 91 exercise from 10 to 14
June 1991. On 19 July 1991, the 79 th TFS took top honors at the International Air Tattoo held at RAF Fairford.
The wing held a homecoming celebration for 42 nd ECS aircrews and support personnel returning from Operation Provide
Comfort deployment on 14 August 1991.
Wing aircrews flew in support of Elder Joust from 10 to 12 September 1991.
On 31 September 1991, another rotation of 42 nd ECS personnel to Saudi Arabia took place.
The 20 th Fighter Wing Name Returns
The 20 th Tactical Fighter Wing, along with the associated 55 th , 77 th , and 79 th Tactical Fighter Squadrons were officially
redesignated the 20 th Fighter Wing and 55 th , 77 th , and 79 th Fighter Squadrons on 1 October 1991. Also on that date,
Detachment 17, 28 th Weather Squadron was inactivated from the Air
Weather Service and reactivated as the Weather Flight of the 20 th FW.
During October 1991, wing air and ground crews competed in
Gunsmoke 91 at Nellis AFB, Nevada. On 23 October, the Gunsmoke
team returned home with top honors and the F-111 Bombing trophy.
Finally, the 2130 th Communications Group, RAF Croughton, and the
2118 th Communications Squadron, RAF Uxbridge, were realigned
from direct reporting units of HQ Third Air Force to become units
assigned to the 20 th Fighter Wing on 1 November 1991.
20 th Fighter Wing aircrews participated in Green Flag 92 from 27
EF-111A of the 42nd ECS prior to takeoff for deployment to Turkey in
support of Operation Provide Comfort 23 September 1991. USAF Photo
Last photo of the four squadrons together. USAF Photo