NORAD to conduct air defense exercise over Kansas,

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct a planned live-fly air defense exercise over southwest Nebraska-northwest Kansas and northeastern Colorado today.

NORAD F-16s and an E-3 AWACS, and civilian aircraft will participate in the exercise. Aircraft will operate at approximately 8,000 feet, and may be visible to the public.

To test responses, systems and equipment, NORAD routinely conducts air defense exercises using a variety of scenarios, including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responding to unknown aircraft. All NORAD exercises are carefully planned and are closely controlled.

The defense of Canada and the United States is NORAD’s top priority. Operation NOBLE EAGLE is the name given to air sovereignty and air defense missions in North America. For more than 65 years, NORAD aircraft have identified and intercepted potential air threats to North America in the execution of the command’s aerospace warning and aerospace control missions.