NORAD to conduct flight exercises over Carolinas

North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct exercise flights today as they practice intercept and identification procedures. The exercise will occur over northeastern South Carolina and central North Carolina between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

The flights could be delayed or cancelled, however, because of weather concerns.

The flights are scheduled to take place in the regions encompassing Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Jacksonville, N.C., as well as between Franklin, N.C., and Fayetteville, N.C. People in this area might hear or see low-flying NORAD-controlled fighter jets in close proximity to a military or military contracted aircraft, which will be taking on the role of aircraft of interest.

NORAD continuously conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios, including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responding to unknown aircraft as a means of testing responses, systems and equipment. All NORAD exercises are planned carefully and are controlled closely.

NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that provides maritime warning, aerospace warning and aerospace control for Canada and the United States. The command has three subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

Source:   http://coladaily.com