PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct five exercise flights May 26.
Flights will take place in the skies in the vicinities of Corpus Christie to San Antonio, Texas; Glen Falls and Albany, N.Y., to Scranton, Penn.; Sierra Vista, Bisbee and Douglas, Ariz., to Animas, N.M.; Minneapolis and Duluth, Minn., to Fargo, N.D.; and Ludington to Grand Rapids, Mich.
The flights will take place in the late-morning, and people may hear and see NORAD fighter aircraft in close proximity with DOD-contracted general aviation aircraft as they practice their intercept and identification procedures.
The exercises have been carefully planned and will be closely controlled to ensure NORAD’s rapid response capability.
NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout the U.S. and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. Each exercise flight utilizes a scenario to test NORAD’s response, systems and equipment. Scenarios could include counter-drug operations, aircraft in distress, aircraft defecting, hijacking, unknown aircraft, Dangerous Military Activity, Temporary Flight Restriction violation or airborne terrorist.
For more information about NORAD intercept procedures, please refer to the
Federal Aviation Administration website.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD fighters have responded to more than 3,300 possible air threats in Canada and the United States.