PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – North
American Aerospace Defense Command and the Russian Federation Air Force will
conduct their third cooperative live-fly air defense exercise from August
26-30, 2013 over the Bering Sea.
The
exercise, named VIGILANT EAGLE, began as a jointly pursued initiative between
the United States and Russia to improve cooperation and response to a hijacking
scenario involving commercial aircraft and involves Russian Federation Air
Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and U.S. military personnel and aircraft
operating in Russia and the United States.
This year’s
exercise will consist of aircraft simulating two international flights: one
originating in Alaska and traveling into Russian airspace, followed by one
originating in Russia and traveling into U.S. airspace.
In the
exercise scenario, a foreign flagged commercial air carrier on an international
flight has been seized by terrorists and is not responding to
communications. This situation will require both the RFAF and NORAD to
launch or divert fighter aircraft to investigate and follow the commercial
carrier. The exercise will focus on the cooperative hand-off of the
aircraft across boundaries by the participating nations.
The VIGILANT
EAGLE exercise series has been conducted four times since its inception. It
started in 2008 with a computer simulated exercise, followed by the first
live-fly exercise in August 2010, which included interceptors, tankers and
AWACS aircraft from both sides. This event marked a significant milestone
in our continued cooperative efforts to keep our international boundaries
safe. It was followed by another successful live-fly in 2011. In
2012, an additional computer simulated exercise was conducted at the request of
the RFAF.
These exercises continue to foster the improved
cooperation between the RFAF and NORAD in their ability to respond quickly to
threats of air terrorism. Working side-by-side allows further opportunities for
Russia, Canada and the U.S. to enhance their international partnership and to cooperatively
detect, track, identify, intercept, and follow a simulated hijacked aircraft as
it proceeds across international boundaries.