The North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct Falcon Virgo, a routine air defense exercise, on Thursday, January 14, through Friday, January 15, and again on Monday, January 25, through Tuesday, January 26, between midnight and 5:30 a.m. EST each day in the National Capital Region.
Aircraft participating in the flight exercise include Air Force F-16 aircraft, an Army UC-35A aircraft, a Navy King Air 300 aircraft, a Coast Guard MH-65D Dolphin helicopter, and Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182T general aviation aircraft. Some portions of the exercise could involve flights at approximately 2,500 feet and may be visible from the ground. If weather prevents regularly scheduled flights, the exercise will commence Jan. 27.
NORAD routinely conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios, including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responses to unknown aircraft. All NORAD exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled.
Falcon Virgo is a recurring exercise in support of Operation NOBLE EAGLE, which places emphasis on the surveillance and control of airspace over Canada and the United States. The defense of North America is NORAD’s top priority and NORAD remains on alert around the clock, every day. This exercise is a part of NORAD’s routine training program.
For more than 60 years, NORAD aircraft have identified and intercepted potential air threats to North America in the execution of its aerospace warning and aerospace control missions, and maintain a watchful eye over Canadian and U.S. internal waterways and maritime approaches under its maritime warning mission.
