The Visual Warning System being fielded by North American Aerospace Command (NORAD), in coordination with the FAA and the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, will become operational Saturday, May 21, 2005.

This new security measure is designed to enhance air safety and security in the National Capital Region. It is a communication tool to warn pilots who have entered the NCR's restricted airspace - the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) - and cannot be contacted by radio. It is a ground-based system that uses safety-tested, low-level beams of alternating red and green lights to alert pilots they are flying without approval in restricted airspace. The lights are designed so that illumination is eye-safe and non-hazardous at all ranges.

According to NORAD, the VWS system is considered a Class I laser device, that is, the safest class possible. It is eye safe at the aperture and all distances.  The VWS is safer than laser pointers and can be directly viewed.  There is no eye hazard associated with viewing the beam.  In comparison, green or red laser pointers are typically Class IIIa, which have the potential for causing eye damage if viewed beyond � second.  What the pilots see is a bright dot of flashing red/red/green light that stands out brilliantly among the many city and radio tower lights at night and against scenery clutter during the day.  The narrow beam of the warning minimizes the probability that a non-intruder aircraft will be illuminated when the VWS is directed at an intruder aircraft.  If another aircraft approaches the same azimuth and elevation as the intruder as determined by radar data, the warning will be terminated.  The Visual Warning System does not affect any aircraft systems. 

Only aircraft that are unauthorized, or unidentified, and unresponsive would be visually warned. The VWS is designed to prompt immediate action by the pilot to contact air traffic control and exit the restricted airspace.

FMI: www.norad.mil, www.norad.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.news_fact_vws