[Scan-DC] NORAD exercise planned for Washington D.C.

[Alan Henney]

071019-001
October 19, 2007

NORAD exercise planned for Washington D.C.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – The North American Aerospace Defense
Command and its geographical component, the Continental United States
NORAD Region (CONR), will conduct Exercise Falcon Virgo 08-01 from
Tuesday through Thursday in the National Capital Region (Washington,
D.C.).

This exercise comprises a series of training flights held in
coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National
Capital Region Command Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations
Center, Civil Air Patrol, and NORAD’s Northeast Air Defense Sector.

Exercise Falcon Virgo 08-01 is designed to test NORAD’s intercept and
identification operations, as well as procedural tests of the NCR
Visual Warning System.  Civil Air Patrol aircraft, Air Force F-16s and
C-38s, and Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, will participate in
the exercise.  Residents in the area can expect flights to occur
throughout the day, including late night and early morning hours, on
scheduled exercise dates.

In the event of inclement weather, the exercise will push to the next
day.  Further weather delays will result in rescheduling or
cancellation of the exercise.

These exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure
NORAD’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 (CONUS) 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 assets throughout the country ensure
air safety and security against potential air threats.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD fighters have responded to more than 2,300
possible air threats in the United States, Canada and Alaska, and have
flown more than 46,780 sorties with the support of Airborne Warning
and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.