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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- The South Carolina Air National Guard is scheduled to fly air defense exercises over Florence and Myrtle Beach.

Air National Guard spokesman Maj. Jim Roth says Wednesday's exercises will be flown by F-16 fighter jets from McEntire Joint National Guard Base's 169th Fighter Wing outside Sumter.

They will escort a single engine aircraft from the South Carolina Civil Air Patrol.

The exercises are part of the guard's airspace control mission, which makes the guard a key part of the strategic force poised to respond to airborne threats over the United States.

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