F-15s Fly Over NY for 9-11 Anniversary
Air Force Print News | September 07, 2007
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- On the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Air Force fighters assigned to the Continental U.S. NORAD Region will be visible over the New York City area.
Two F-15 Eagles from the 102nd Fighter Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, Mass., will over fly New York City as part of the continuing Operation Noble Eagle mission.
The F-15s will make low approaches on LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy, Newark and Teterboro airports. The sorties are carefully planned and conducted to ensure public safety while displaying NORAD's rapid response capability.
The air defense deterrence flights are not threat driven, but demonstrate improvements in air security that have taken place since Sept. 11, said Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow, the commander of Continental U.S. NORAD Region, called CONR.
"We've become increasingly visible in our (Operation Noble Eagle) role, due largely to the increased assets we have sitting alert across America today," General Morrow said. "We've more than doubled the amount of fighter aircraft defending the homeland, and that force is representative of a larger, more robust air defense 'system of systems,' including air defense sectors, ground assets, and close coordination with the (Federal Aviation Administration) and other federal agencies, local governments and government officials.
"This visibility is part of our (Operation Noble Eagle) mission responsibilities, and sends the clear message that we are fully dedicated to the continued security of North America and, in that role, will remain unpredictable to potential adversaries. We can be anywhere at anytime," General Morrow said.
CONR, under its parent command NORAD, has conducted air patrols throughout the U.S. and Canada since the start of Operation Noble Eagle -- the command's response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.