Flight and boat operations return March 13

Flight and boat operations in the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay will take place March 13-16. Some boats will have mock-up, fake deck guns and rocket launcher tubes.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Residents may experience noise when the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group conducts boat operations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay, March 13-16.

Each morning, fighter aircraft will release munitions between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. approximately 20 nautical miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico.  The test will be conducted within a cleared range safety area which includes boat surveillance. Notices to mariners will be issued prior to the missions and flyers will be handed out at the local marina.

In the afternoons between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., approximately 30 boats travelling in formation will transverse between the Mid-Bay Bridge and the Highway 331 Bridge, to include 10 to 20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat formation will be used as visual targets by military aircraft flying over the area.  No weapons or ammunition will be involved with this boat formation.

Please be advised that some boats will have mock-up, fake deck guns and rocket launcher tubes. The boats will also use marine flares as a visual markers.

These operations are part of the 53^rd Wing’s Weapon System Evaluation Program.