Powder River exercise scheduled for March 30-31

Posted 3/17/16 (Thu)

ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- A large force exercise of military aircraft has been scheduled for March 30-31 in the Powder River Training Complex.

During this period, people living under the following PRTC military operations areas can expect to see multiple types of aircraft utilizing the areas simultaneously:
     - Powder River One
     - Powder River Two
     - Powder River Three
     - Powder River Four
     - Gaps A, B and C

A map of the airspace is available for reference on the Ellsworth AFB website at http://www.ellsworth.af.mil/prtc.asp.

As a reminder, non-military aircraft should thoroughly review the Federal Aviation Administration's Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, and review flight plans to avoid these areas and altitudes where aircraft will be participating. This can be done by calling 1-800-WXBRIEF, or visiting online at https://sua.faa.gov/ and http://www.1800wxbrief.com.

This exercise is designed to train aircrew under realistic scenarios that support full spectrum operations against modern threats and replicate today's contingency operations. This type of training is limited to 10 days each year, with each exercise lasting no more than three days. These events will only occur once each three-month period, as separated into January through March, April through June, July through September, and October through December.

The new PRTC officially opened Sept. 17, 2015 upon its charting by the FAA, and military flying operations began Sept. 18, 2015. This will be the second LFE for the PRTC and this news release serves as the official public notification of the event.

The NOTAMs for the exercise, issued by the FAA 72 hours prior to its start, will act as the final official notice.