TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Continental U.S. NORAD region (CONR) F-15 aircraft along with KC-135 refueling aircraft flew simultaneously off the east and west coasts of the U.S. on April 6, 2021 as part of North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Noble Defender exercise.
F-15 jet fighters from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno and the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville simultaneously patrolled U.S. Air Space to simulate the defense of parts of the southwest and southeast coast, respectively.
"Our CONR air defense team is extremely proficient and effective at performing dynamic operations with the agility and speed necessary to deter threats to our nation, and, if called upon by NORAD, to assist our Canadian partners to defend the whole of North America,” said Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce, commander, CONR-1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern).
The Noble Defender exercise series seeks to support a variety of campaign objectives for both the NORAD command and U.S. Northern Command centered around the demonstration and ability to conduct agile combat employment principles across the North American area of operation while strategically messaging U.S. and Canadian binational defense of the homelands.
“Our Airmen once again demonstrated excellence in execution for our 24/7/365 homeland defense mission,” said Pierce.