PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – Two F-15 fighters, under the direction of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, scrambled from the 104th Fighter Wing in Westfield to intercept two general aviation aircraft during separate responses. The F-15 fighter jets intercepted the two small airplanes last night in the New York metropolitan area after they entered airspace temporarily restricted because of President Barack Obama’s campaign visit to Connecticut for fundraising events.
The fighters intercepted the first aircraft at approximately 7 p.m. over Long Island, NY, after it entered the temporary flight restricted area. After intercepting the aircraft, the F-15’s followed it until it landed without incident, where the plane was met by local law enforcement. The second aircraft was intercepted at approximately 7:30 p.m. near New Haven, CT, in the temporary flight restricted area. Following the intercept the aircraft was allowed to proceed to its destination.
NORAD’s mission – in close collaboration with homeland defense, security, and law enforcement partners – is to prevent air attacks against North America, safeguard the sovereign airspaces of the United States and Canada by responding to unknown, unwanted and unauthorized air activity approaching and operating within these airspaces, and provide aerospace and maritime warning for North America. NORAD may be required to monitor, shadow, divert from flight path, direct to land and/or destroy platforms deemed a potential threat to North America.
NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that is responsible for the air defense of North America and maritime warning. The command has three subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The command is poised both tactically and strategically in our nation’s capital to provide a multilayered defense to detect, deter and prevent potential threats flying over the airspace of the United States and Canada.
