CONTACT: Eric Durr, 518-786-4581, eric.durr@us.army.mil

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Feb 07, 2012

ON SITE: Eric Durr, 518-786-4581, eric.durr@us.army.mil

, NY (02/08/2012)-- The Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing will conduct a practice scramble of two (2) F-15 aircraft today over Eastern NY. F-15 fighters from the 104th Fighter Wing in Westfield Mass. are scheduled to participate in an alert exercise today from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. over North and Eastern New York to include Rome and Albany. The F-15 fighter jets will be conducting training with the Civil Air Patrol, which will be flying low-speed civilian propeller aircraft (Cessna 182 / GA-8). This exercise, in partnership with the New York Air National Guard’s Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS), and is conducted to facilitate training for alert pilots on intercept procedures, ensuring the Massachusetts Air National Guard is prepared to defend the Northeast airspace against any airborne threat. In order to test responses, systems and equipment, U.S. Northern Command, 1st Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) continuously conduct exercises with a variety of scenarios within the continental United States. These exercises are carefully planned, closely controlled and include exercising airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responding to unknown aircraft. NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout Canada and the U.S. since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. Communities in Eastern New York may experience increased aircraft activity during the duration of this exercise