Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina is home to the Headquarters of the Ninth Air Force. The 20th Fighter Wing is the host unit. From its beginnings as the 20th Balloon Group in World War I, the 20th has borne the burden of all major American conflicts.

Shaw is one of the largest flying fields in the United States. During World War II, Shaw provided pilot training to more than 8,600 cadets, using AT-6s, AT-10s and eventually P-47 Thunderbolts. Shaw also served as a prisoner of war camp, supervising as many as 175 German prisoners.

In 1957, Shaw pilots set a new speed record for a transcontinental flight, crossing the US in just over three hours, at a speed of 782 mph. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Shaw personnel used RF-101s to run low-altitude photo reconnaissance missions. President John F. Kennedy personally lauded the unit for their role.

In the early 1990s, during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Shaw deployed more than 22,000 troops and 3,300 tons of equipment to the Persian Gulf, where they were one of the most highly effective units. For the next decade, the 20th flew to enforce the Iraqi no-fly zone bounded by the 32nd parallel. The wing also flew combat air patrols after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Early in 2003, Shaw sent approximately 1,300 troops and 15 aircraft in to fight in Iraq.

The F-16 CJ Fighting Falcon

Shaw hosts the largest combat unit of the F-16 CJ Fighting Falcon in the Air Force. The plane can fly at Mach 2 while carrying 15,000 lbs of munitions. Those munitions can include radar-guided missiles, high-speed anti-radiation missiles, heat-seeking missiles, air-to-ground ordnances, or a cannon that can fire 100 projectiles per second.