[Scan-DC] Possible Scramble in the DC Area, 19 Jun 02

[Rapbep@aol.com]

All,

After a long lull it looks like there was a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) in the 
Wash DC area this evening.

The first indication came when NATO 10 (E-3B AWACS, Geilenkirchen GE) took 
off in the 1900 hour (EDT) from Andrews AFB and cleared Washington Center 
(134.5) to the northeast.

About an hour later, in the late 2000 hour (EDT) I heard a flight of two DC 
ANG F-16s from the 121st FS at Andrews, using their special activity (CAP, 
cross-country, etc) callsign (Brave 02) departing Andrews (348.725). Shortly 
after they took off they checked in with Washington Center (351.8) declaring 
that they were in the block 8-10,000 ft & were following and surveilling an 
unidentified aircraft. A few minutes later Brave 01 called the 121st FS CP 
(139.9) and reported that they were escorting an aircraft to Richmond and 
asked the CP to coordinate their actions with Richmond. I couldn't hear their 
communications with Richmond but both F-16s returned and landed at Andrews in 
the early 2100 hour (EDT). 

Communications were spotty and I couldn't tell for sure if the F-16s were 
already on station or if they were scrambled from Andrews. I had been 
listening for a couple of hours and didn't hear them take off so I'm assuming 
that they were scrambled to intercept the unidentified aircraft. I'm also 
assuming that the F-16s were scrambled on orders from the NATO AWACS.

A search of the last known DC CAP freqs produced nothing.


RON
MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILCOM
MARYLAND, USA