HISTORY OF THE 20th FIGHTER WING - Shaw Air Force Base

The General Dynamics F-111 was demonstrated for the first time in England at RAF Wethersfield.
On 1 July 1967, the administrative sections of the wing and combat support group merged to form the 20 th
Base Headquarters Squadron. Though it never achieved formal squadron status by definition, that organization
retained its unofficial designation until its demise on 1 June 1989 when it was functionally replaced by the 20 th
Mission Support Squadron. A final, though minor, organizational revision during the decade of the ‘60s featured
the redesignation of the 20 th Armament and Electronics Squadron as the 20 th Avionics Maintenance Squadron
on 1 January 1969.
Wheelus Closes
A military coup in Libya forced the closure of Wheelus AB in September 1969 and initiation of 20 TFW weapons
training detachment operations at Torrejon AB, Spain in November 1969.
Detachment 1, 20 TFW was established at RAF Upper Heyford on 10 December 1969.
All three flying squadrons rotated to Zaragoza, Spain for weapons training from January to March 1970.
Relocation to Upper Heyford F-111 Era Begins
Headquarters, 20 TFW relocated from RAF Wethersfield to RAF Upper Heyford on 1 June 1970. For the first
time since it left Virginia in 1952, all three of its flying squadrons were united on one home base. Less than three
months later, the wing began converting to a new aircraft, the General Dynamics F-111E Aardvark (unofficially).
On 12 September 1970, the first two F-111Es arrived at RAF Upper Heyford. The last of the 20 th ’s F-100s transferred
to the Air National Guard on 12 February 1971 and in November of that year the wing’s F-111s were declared
operationally ready.
Reorganization of the wing’s maintenance community continued and, on 1 February 1972, the 20 th Organizational
Maintenance Squadron was activated for a second time, shifting maintenance personnel and equipment
back out of the flying squadrons. Eight months later, on 1 September 1972, the 320 th Munitions Maintenance
Squadron was redesignated as the 20 th Munitions Maintenance Squadron.
The 20 TFW participated in F-111 NATO and US unilateral operations Shabaz, Display Determination, Cold
Fire, Ocean Safari, Datex, Priory, Reforger, Dawn Patrol, Highwood, Hammer, and others from January 1972 to
October 1993.
Half a year later, on 5 March 1973, the 20 TFW became one of only two wings in the Air Force to participate in
the tri-deputy wing organization system. The Deputy Commander for Materiel organization split apart to form the
Deputy Commander for Logistics (renamed Deputy Commander for Resources in 1974 and Deputy Commander
for Resource Management in 1975) and the Deputy Commander for Maintenance organizations. Under this test
the Organizational, Field, Avionics, and Munitions Maintenance Squadrons became prime components of the
20 th Fighter Wing History --- Page Number 20.