North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Continental U.S. Region and the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) are scheduled to conduct Fertile Hawk, a live-fly air defense exercise from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, over the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Sarasota and Venice.
The aircraft participating in the exercise include NORAD F-15 fighters and Civil Air Patrol aircraft.
Some portions of the exercise could involve flights as low as 3,000 feet. If weather prevents these scheduled flights, the exercise will occur Oct. 30.
NORAD routinely conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios, including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responses to unknown aircraft. CONR carefully plans and closely controls all exercises.
Fertile Hawk is a recurring exercise in support of Operation NOBLE EAGLE, which places emphasis on the warning and control of airspace over Canada and the United States.
NORAD is a bi-national command responsible for aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for the United States and Canada. NORAD also keeps watch over Canadian and U.S. internal waterways and maritime approaches under its maritime warning mission.