TYNDALL
AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command and its
geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region, will
conduct exercise Falcon Virgo 15-01 Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, Oct. 14 and 15, 2014, over
the National Capital Region, Washington, D.C. Flights are scheduled to take
place between midnight and 2 a.m. (EDT).
In
the event of inclement weather, the exercise will take place the following
evening. If bad weather continues,
officials will then make a decision to postpone or cancel the exercise.
Exercise
Falcon Virgo is designed to hone NORAD’s intercept and identification
operations as well as operationally test the NCR Visual Warning System and
training personnel at the Joint Air Defense Operations Center. Civil Air Patrol aircraft, Air Force F-16s, an
Air Force C-38, and a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter will participate
in the exercise.
The
exercise is comprised of a series of training flights held in coordination with
the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Coordination
Center, the JADOC, Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR’s Western Air
Defense Sector.
These
exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure CONR’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 on Sept. 11, 2001.
As
the Continental United States geographical component of the bi-national command
NORAD, CONR provides airspace surveillance and control, and directs air
sovereignty activities for the CONUS region. CONR and its assigned Air Force
and Army assets throughout the country ensure air safety and security against
potential air threats.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, CONR fighters have
responded to more than 5,000 possible air threats in the United States and have
flown more than 62,500 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning and Control
System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.