WASHINGTON — If you see more planes in the sky than usual late Tuesday night, that may be due to a series of military flight exercises happening over the D.C. region.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command announced that area residents can expect flights between midnight Tuesday and 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The training exercise, called “Falcon Virgo,” will be used to test NORAD’s intercept and identification operations, as well as the agency’s rapid response capability.
Three aircraft will participate in the exercise including U.S. Air Force F-16, Civil Air Patrol C-182 and a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter.
The agency has been conducting similar training exercises across the United States and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle in 2001.
NORAD said the exercise will take place Thursday morning in the event of bad weather.