363rd Fighter Wing

The 363rd Fighter Wing was first activated during World War II as the 363rd Fighter Group in 1943, serving in the European Theater with the Ninth Air Force and flying reconnaissance and escort missions. After the war, the unit underwent several redesignations, including a period as a tactical reconnaissance wing during the Cold War. It became the 363rd Tactical Fighter Wing, operating from Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, where it flew aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II and later the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The wing played an active role in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, conducting combat missions over Iraq and Kuwait. The 363rd was inactivated in 1993, but its heritage continues through various successor units.