PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct exercise flights Jan. 15 in the skies over Colorado Springs. The flights will take place late in the morning and people can expect to hear and see NORAD fighter aircraft as they practice their intercept and identification procedures.
The exercise has 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 this Federal Aviation Administration link: http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/ATpubs/AIM/Chap5/aim0506.html
Since Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD fighters have responded to more than 3,300 possible air threats in Canada and the United States.