NORAD Exercise Planned Overnight in Skies Above Washington, D.C.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command and its geographical component, the Continental United States NORAD Region, is scheduled to conduct airspace security exercises Tuesday night into Wednesday morning over the skies of the Washington, D.C. region.
Flights are scheduled to take place between midnight and 2 a.m. on Sept. 24.
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, 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 as well as operationally test the NCR Visual Warning System and training personnel at the JADOC. Civil Air Patrol aircraft, Air Force F-16s, an Air Force C-38, and a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter are expected to participate in the exercise.
According to NORAD, 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.
In the event of inclement weather, the exercise will take place the following evening.
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