NORAD Training Exercise Planned Thursday Night

Heavy rain and thunderstorms halted North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) jet, helicopter and aircraft training Wednesday night.

NORAD said on its Facebook page that the flights would be delayed 24 hours, thus happening on Thursday night instead.

Exercise Falcon Virgo is scheduled to take place between 3-5 a.m.

From NORAD:

"The exercise is comprised of a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Coordination Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center, Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR’s Eastern Air Defense Sector.

Exercise Falcon Virgo is designed to hone NORAD’s intercept and identification operations as well as operationally test the NCR Visual Warning System. Civil Air Patrol aircraft, Air Force F-16s and a U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter will participate in the exercise. 

These exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure CONR’s rapid response capability. NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout the U.S. and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001."