An F-16 fighter jet used a “headbutt” technique to intercept an aircraft flying near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida last Friday, according to the US military.
The US military has been monitoring the airspace around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club since the president arrived at the White House in January, recording many infractions.
The Air Force announced on Friday that it had responded to “over 20 tracks of interest” above Palm Beach since Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
“The First Air Force at Florida’s Tyndall Air Force Base said in a statement on Friday that North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) F-16 aircraft had intercepted a ‘general aviation aircraft’ over Palm Beach at approximately 10.50 a.m. ET on April 4. This is a broad term referring to non-commercial civilian aircraft,” Newsweek reported.
The NORAD aircraft “conducted a headbutt maneuver to gain the civilian pilot’s attention,” before safely escorting the aircraft from the area, the Air Force said.
Also Read : JUST IN: SCOTUS Blocks Rogue Judge, Gives Trump Admin A Massive Deportation Win
A “headbutt maneuver” typically involves a fighter jet flying extremely close to another aircraft and cutting in front of its nose.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) to aircrews, which are enforced by NORAD. TFRs are typically implemented during presidential visits.
Trump played golf at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, following a series of extensive tariff announcements that caused shockwaves through the global markets.
Pilots in the air are also responsible for checking Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs.
Last month, U.S. Air Force fighter jets intercepted an aircraft that violated a temporary flight restriction by flying over President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Sunday, according to NORAD.
This marked the second time in 48 hours that F-16s from the Continental U.S. NORAD region had responded to airspace violations over Palm Beach, Fla., North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement.
“NORAD has responded to over 20 tracks of interest entering the Palm Beach, Florida TFR area” since Trump’s presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, the statement noted further.
The fighters launched flares that were likely visible to the general public during the intercept “to draw attention from or communicate with the pilot” of the civilian aircraft, NORAD added.
Flares “burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground,” the statement added.
The incident on Sunday took place while Trump was at his Palm Beach golf course, the White House press pool report said.
“Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command.
“The procedures are not optional, and the excessive number of recent TFR violations indicates many civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMs, before each flight as required by the FAA, and has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR,” he added.
The Air Force said it used a “layered” network of radars, satellites, and fighter jets to detect and tackle potential threats.
“The identification and monitoring of civilian aircraft demonstrate how NORAD executes its aerospace warning and control missions for the United States and Canada,” the Air Force said. NORAD is a binational command.
NORAD and U.S. Northern Command commander General Gregory Guillot said in a statement: “NORAD and the FAA work closely together to keep the skies over America safe.”
The FAA will continue to put out TFRs around Mar-a-Lago, enforced by NORAD.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Secret Service shot an armed man during a confrontation near the White House on Sunday, the agency said in a release, noting that the incident occurred just after midnight.
Officers encountered the armed man about a block away from the White House on the west side of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
