NORAD-Russia Vs. Terrorists

Using a scenario that reads like it was ripped from the pages of a thriller screenplay, the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Command today announced plans for a first-ever cooperative air defense exercise with Russia's air force:

The basic premise is that a U.S.-flagged commercial air carrier on an international flight (Fencing 1220) has been taken over by terrorists.  The aircraft will not respond to communications.  The exercise scenario will create a situation that requires both the Russian Air Force and NORAD to launch or divert fighter aircraft to investigate and follow Fencing 1220.  The exercise will focus on shadowing and the cooperative hand-off of the monitored aircraft (Fencing 1220) between fighters of the participating nations.

A U.S. AWACS E-3B and a Russian A-50 along with fighter-interceptor and refueling aircraft will participate in the exercise, which is designed around two international flights that will follow the same route: one originating in Alaska and traveling to the Far East followed by one originating in the Far East and traveling to Alaska.

Dubbed "Vigilant Eagle," the four-day exercise will take place "on or about" Aug. 8 to 11 and involve U.S., Russian and Canadian officials participating in both the United States and Russia. Along with the military, U.S. and Russian civilian air control agencies will also take part.

The impetus for this exercise, a NORAD spokesman told InsideDefense.com, is a Sept. 2003 agreement between then-U.S. President Bush and then-Russian President Putin for their nations' militaries to increase cooperation in three areas: counterterrorism, missile defense, and peacekeeping.