WASHINGTON — Don’t be alarmed if you hear or see military aircraft overhead Tuesday night into Wednesday morning — it is just part of an aerospace exercise in the D.C. area.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Continental United States NORAD Region will conduct an exercise in the D.C. area between midnight and 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The exercise will include training flights held in coordination with several agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center, Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force and CONR’s Eastern and Western Air Defense Sectors.
The exercise aims to hone NORAD’s intercept and identification operations, test aircrafts’ visual warning systems and train personnel.
The exercise will include Civil Air Patrol aircraft, a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and an Air Force C-21 aircraft.
Exercises such as the one this week have been conducted in the U.S. and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle — a response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
If there is inclement weather, officials will decide to either postpone or cancel the exercise.
