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NORAD NEWS
News | Jan. 19, 2011

NORAD will conduct exercise flights to test its response capability

By NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), in close coordination with Rome, NY emergency services, will conduct exercise flights today as they practice intercept and identification procedures. Exercise flights will take place over Central Michigan and Western New York. Flights are scheduled from late morning to early afternoon over Michigan and late afternoon over New York, however they could be delayed due to weather or air traffic concerns.

Those living in the vicinity of Lansing, MI or Utica, NY may hear and/or see NORAD-controlled fighter jets in close proximity to a military or military contracted aircraft, which will be taking on the role of a Track of Interest (TOI).

In order to test responses, systems and equipment, NORAD continuously conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios, including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responding to unknown aircraft. All NORAD exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled.

NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout Canada and the U.S. since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001.

NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that provides maritime warning, aerospace warning and aerospace defense for Canada and the United States. The command has three subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

For more information about NORAD, refer to http://www.norad.mil/Home.html.

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For more information about NORAD intercept procedures, refer to the FAA website at http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/ATpubs/AIM/Chap5/aim0506.html.