TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region (CONR), will conduct a one-day exercise, Falcon Virgo 09-Windy City-One, July 21 in Chicago.
The exercise comprises a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center, Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control, the Continental U.S. NORAD Region, Customs and Border Protection and CONR’s Eastern Air Defense Sector.
Windy City Virgos are designed to hone NORAD’s intercept and identification operations, especially over newly-designed airspace around Chicago. Customs and Border Protection aircraft and Air Force F-16 will participate in the exercise. Residents in the area can expect flights to occur during the late night and early morning hours beginning Tuesday at 1 a.m. and continuing through the scheduled exercise hours.
In the event of inclement weather, the exercise will be rescheduled at a later date. Falcon Virgo Windy City-Two and Windy City-Three are future exercises that have yet to be scheduled.
These exercises are carefully planned and 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 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, NORAD fighters have responded to more than 2,100 possible air threats in the United States and have flown more than 51,000 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.