… Again

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) scrambled a U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet and a lone MH-65 helicopter to intercept a civilian aircraft that entered restricted airspace near the Wilmington, Delaware residence of Joe Biden.

The two military aircraft made contact with the civilian plane at approximately 14:25 EDT on Saturday, 28 October 2023, and escorted the latter to an uneventful landing at a nearby airport.

In a statement pertaining to the incident, the U.S. Secret Service set forth: “Shortly after 14:00 EDT, a civilian aircraft violated restricted airspace north of Wilmington, Delaware. As a precaution, assets were scrambled to intercept and the civilian aircraft safely landed at a nearby airport."

U.S. Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi stated: “There were no impacts to the protectee’s [Biden’s] movements as a result of this incident, and agents from the U.S. are investigating in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration.”

The F-16 dispensed flares to "draw attention from or communicate with the pilot;" So stated NORAD.

The 28 October incident is the third of its kind to occur in 2023. On 11 September, a Piper PA-18 Super Cub entered airspace closed for a visit Biden made to Anchorage, Alaska. The Super Cub was intercepted by a NORAD F-16 fighter jet and escorted to the ground. On 25 August, two USAF F-16s were scrambled for purpose of intercepting a civilian aircraft that strayed too near a Lake Tahoe, California locale in which Joe and Jill Biden were then vacationing. Finally, in early July, a civilian plane entered temporarily restricted airspace over a Rehoboth Beach, Delaware vacation home then being visited by Biden.

FMI: www.norad.mil