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NORAD NEWS
News | Oct. 22, 2011

NORAD aircraft intercept two civilian aircraft

By NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Military aircraft under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted two civilian aircraft in separate incidents in the area of the National Capital Region today.

The first aircraft was intercepted by two Air Force F-16s at approximately 7:45 A.M. MDT. The civilian aircraft was out of radio communication. Once the pilot regained radio communication it was allowed to proceed to its original destination.

The second aircraft entered into restricted airspace and was intercepted by one Air Force F-16 and a U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter at approximately 8:57 A.M. MDT. Once intercepted the civilian aircraft was escorted out of the restricted airspace and allowed to proceed to its original destination.

NORAD's mission - in close collaboration with homeland defense, security, and law enforcement partners - is to prevent air attacks against North America, safeguard the sovereign airspaces of the United States and Canada by responding to unknown, unwanted and unauthorized air activity approaching and operating within these airspaces, and provide aerospace and maritime warning for North America. NORAD may be required to monitor, shadow, divert from flight path, direct to land and/or destroy platforms deemed a potential threat to North America.

NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that is responsible for the air defense of North America and maritime warning. The command has three subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The command is poised both tactically and strategically in our nation's capital to provide a multilayered defense to detect, deter and prevent potential threats flying over the airspace of the United States and Canada.