TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will conduct Exercise FALCON VIRGO, a live-fly air defense exercise, Aug. 31, 2023, between midnight and 5:30 a.m. EDT in the National Capital Region.
Under the direction of the Continental U.S. NORAD Region, NORAD aircraft participating in the exercise include F-16 fighter jets, a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65D Dolphin helicopter, and Civil Air Patrol C-182 aircraft.
Some portions of the exercise may involve flights at approximately 2,500 feet and may be visible from the ground. The exercise was originally scheduled to commence on August 29, 2023, but was rescheduled due to weather. If weather prevents these regularly scheduled flights, the exercise will be cancelled.
NORAD routinely conducts exercises with various scenarios, including airspace restriction violations, hijackings, and responses to unknown aircraft. All NORAD exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled.
Falcon Virgo is a routine exercise in support of Operation Noble Eagle (ONE). ONE is the name given to all air sovereignty and air defense missions in North America.
For more than 65 years, NORAD aircraft have identified and intercepted potential air threats to North America in the execution of its aerospace warning and aerospace control missions and maintain a watchful eye over Canadian and U.S. internal waterways and maritime approaches under its maritime warning mission.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: For further information, please contact Continental U.S. NORAD Region Public Affairs at (850) 283-1333.
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