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

By the end of the conflict, Saudi based EF-111As had flown 219 combat missions, totaling 1,155 flying hours.
The wing’s six EF-111As based in Turkey flew 252 combat missions, totaling 704 hours, while the 23 F-111Es at
Incirlik flew 456 combat missions, a total of 1,327 combat hours.
When Desert Storm ended, the wing had deployed 458 personnel, flown 1,798 combat sorties without a loss, and
dropped 4,714 tons of ordnance.
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 ECS redeployed to Incirlik in support of Operation Provide Comfort on 6 April 1991.
In May, 42 ECS Avionics Maintenance Unit personnel -- deployed to Saudi Arabia since December 1990 -- returned
to Upper Heyford. Other 42 ECS/AMU personnel rotated into Saudi in the same month.
Eight months after it was assigned to the 20 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 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 TFW aircrews participated in the NATO Central Enterprise 91 exercise from
10 to 14 June 1991. On 19 July 1991, the 79 TFS took top honors at the International Air Tattoo held at RAF
Fairford.
The wing held a homecoming celebration for 42 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 ECS personnel to Saudi Arabia took place.
20 th Fighter Wing History --- Page Number 2 .
EF-111A of the 42nd ECS prior to takeoff for deployment to
Turkey in support of Operation Provide Comfort 23 September
1991. USAF Photo