[Scan-DC] NORAD exercise Friday

[Ed Tobias]

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 08-02 Friday 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, the Continental US NORAD Region, Civil Air Patrol, US Coast Guard and CONR's

Northeast Air Defense Sector.



Exercise Falcon Virgo 08-02 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 Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopters will participate in the

exercise. Residents in the area can expect flights to occur during the late night and early

morning hours, on scheduled exercise dates.

In the event of inclement weather the exercise will push to November 17; further weather delays

will cancel 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 2,100 possible air threats

in the United States, Canada and Alaska, and have flown more than 46,600 sorties with the

support of Airborne Warning and Control System and air-to-air-refueling aircraft.



-30-

For more information on these Falcon Virgo flight-training exercises, please contact

CONR Public Affairs at (850) 283-8659, the on-call CONR Public Affairs Duty Officer (after

5 p.m. CST) at (850) 890-2661, or the NORAD Public Affairs Office at 719-554-6889