PETERSON
AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – One U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter under the
direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted a general
aviation aircraft in the Special Flight Rules Area over Washington D.C. today
at approximately 1:30 p.m. EDT.
Initially,
the aircraft was not talking to air traffic control but re-established
communications when it was intercepted and visually identified. The aircraft
was then escorted out of the area.
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.
As one of
NORAD's critical airspace security partners, the Federal Aviation
Administration provides air traffic services for NORAD to safely and
effectively perform its mission and to minimize the impacts on normal air
traffic operations.
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.