TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The North American
Aerospace Defense Command and its geographical component, the Continental
United States NORAD Region (CONR), will conduct exercise Falcon Virgo 14-09
Tuesday night through Thursday morning, in the National Capital Region,
Washington, D.C. Flights are scheduled to take place between midnight and 5:30
a.m. (EDT) each day.
In the event of inclement weather, the exercise
will take place the following evening. If bad weather continues, officials will
then make a decision to postpone or cancel the exercise.
The exercise is comprised of a series of
training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration,
the National Capital Region (NCR) Coordination Center, the Joint Air Defense
Operations Center (JADOC), Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR’s
Eastern and Western Air Defense Sectors.
Exercise Falcon Virgo is designed to hone
NORAD’s intercept and identification operations as well as operationally test
the NCR Visual Warning System and certify newly assigned Command and Control
personnel at the JADOC. Civil Air Patrol aircraft, Air Force F-16s and a U.S.
Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter will participate in the exercise.
These exercises are carefully planned and
closely controlled to ensure CONR’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, CONR fighters have
responded to more than 5,000 possible air threats in the United States and have
flown more than 62,500 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning and Control
System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.