TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The North American Aerospace
Defense Command and its geographical component, the Continental United States
NORAD Region, will conduct exercise Falcon Virgo 14-11 Tuesday night into
Wednesday morning between midnight and 2 a.m. EDT, over the National Capital
Region in Washington, D.C.
In the event of inclement weather, the
exercise will take place the following evening. If bad weather persists, 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 Coordination Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations
Center, Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR’s Eastern Air Defense
Sector.
Exercise Falcon Virgo is designed to hone NORAD’s
intercept and identification operations, operationally test the NCR Visual
Warning System and train personnel at the JADOC. Civil Air Patrol aircraft 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 in support of the
NORAD aerospace control mission. 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 various assets, including the support of
Airborne Warning and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.