Iowa Air National Guard planes will be flying at lower-than-usual altitudes in some areas of the state over the next month, beginning Monday.
The changes are part of a training exercise called Badger Denial, which will involve air and ground exercises across the state, guard officials announced Friday.
Planes will fly within a 30 mile radius of Des Moines at about 10,000 to 18,000 feet. Some exercises will require planes to be as low as 3,000 feet in areas in northwest Iowa.
Residents in Des Moines, Carroll, Storm Lake and Pocahontas may see ground teams on the move, including military cargo trucks, Humvees and other vehicles. The teams will test sophisticated optics and communication equipment, including night vision equipment, the guard said.
F-16 aircraft from the 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines will operate in the skies between Carroll and the Minnesota boarder and from Fort Dodge to Storm Lake. Residents may see red flares in the sky that look like fireworks, the guard said.
A KC-135 tanker aircraft from the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City will conduct refueling operations in areas between Spencer and Estherville. Those operations will be above 20,000 feet, a guard news release said, but can be visible from the ground and may involve flares.
Residents with questions may contact Maj. Michael Wunn, Iowa National Guard public affairs officer, at
The changes are part of a training exercise called Badger Denial, which will involve air and ground exercises across the state, guard officials announced Friday.
Planes will fly within a 30 mile radius of Des Moines at about 10,000 to 18,000 feet. Some exercises will require planes to be as low as 3,000 feet in areas in northwest Iowa.
Residents in Des Moines, Carroll, Storm Lake and Pocahontas may see ground teams on the move, including military cargo trucks, Humvees and other vehicles. The teams will test sophisticated optics and communication equipment, including night vision equipment, the guard said.
F-16 aircraft from the 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines will operate in the skies between Carroll and the Minnesota boarder and from Fort Dodge to Storm Lake. Residents may see red flares in the sky that look like fireworks, the guard said.
A KC-135 tanker aircraft from the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City will conduct refueling operations in areas between Spencer and Estherville. Those operations will be above 20,000 feet, a guard news release said, but can be visible from the ground and may involve flares.
Residents with questions may contact Maj. Michael Wunn, Iowa National Guard public affairs officer, at
