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NORAD air defense exercise held Wednesday morning in West Palm Beach area

Posted at 11:54 AM, Apr 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-04 12:35:02-04

South Florida residents may have seen some low-flying military aircraft Wednesday morning because of a training exercise.

The Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region (NORAD), Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) and the FAA conducted training in the West Palm Beach area between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

NORAD said the training included a National Guard F-15, Air Force KC-135 and Civil Air Patrol C-182.

The F-15 aircraft took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. WPTV recorded video of the aircraft as it flew over Boca Raton Wednesday morning.

 

NORAD said in a news release that some portions of the exercise could involve flights at about 3,500 feet above ground level.

NORAD said these exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled to ensure rapid response for air defense. 

The Air Force did not specify why South Florida was chosen for the exercise, but it is likely that the presence of Mar-a-Lago and President Trump's frequent visits played a role in the site selection.

The Air Force says these trainings are customary and that they’ve been going on since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Similar training was held in the West Palm Beach area in February.