PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted six aircraft violating a temporary flight restriction over Palm City, Fla., during President’s Day weekend.
On Feb. 16, F-16s and Coast Guard helicopters intercepted a Cessna 152 and a Lance Air 320 general aviation aircraft near Port St. Lucie, Fla. The Cessna landed at Stuart Airport, and the Lance Air continued to its destination.
The next day, F-16s intercepted a Robinson R44 helicopter and a Cessna. Both aircraft landed at Okeechobee Airport and were met by authorities.
On Monday an F-16 intercepted a Cessna after it entered the TFR over Palm City. Ten minutes later, another F-16 and a Coast Guard helicopter intercepted a Cessna 182 entering the same TFR. Both aircraft continued on to their 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 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.