SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — Residents in and around Sumter may notice an increase in aerial rumbles in the coming week - and it won't be thunder.
The 20th Fighter Wing out of Shaw Air Force Base will be initiating nighttime flight training that will involve the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft that are based there.
The 20th Fighter Wing announced the training on Friday and warned residents that there will be training planned from Feb. 13 to Feb. 17 at night. The training will occur in military areas across the southeastern portion of the East Coast, the announcement added.
"This training exercise prepares combat aircrew for current and future combat operations in highly realistic scenarios as part of the South Carolina Electronic Warfare Range (SCEWR) initiative," the statement continues.
According to the 20th Fighter Wing, the initiative "brings together the flying community, the civil engineer squadron, operations support personnel, and weapons and tactics specialists to create the best possible training environment to produce combat-ready pilots to execution the suppression of enemy air defenses mission."
