Skies Above Super Bowl Protected By Fighter Jets, Fans To Be Surprised “With Never Before Seen Formation”

USA: Tens of millions of Americans will be glued to their flat-screen televisions, smartphones, and or tablets on Sunday evening to watch the National Football League (NFL) annual playoff championship game that will feature the Los Angeles Rams versus Cincinnati Bengals. For the tens of thousands of fans attending today’s game at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, have fun and watch the game, as there will be a fleet of fighter jets patrolling the skies above.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a Temporary Flight Restriction will go into effect between 1430 PST to 2030 PST for a 30-mile perimeter around the stadium with an altitude of 18,000 feet.

California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing (144 FW) will be locking down the air space with McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets, American Military News said.

Col. Troy Havener, commander of 144 FW at March Air Reserve Base near Riverside, said his pilots are ready to intercept planes if they penetrate the airspace around the Super Bowl. 

“We’re excited to see the hometown Rams in the big game against the Bengals, and we hope fans will celebrate safely,” said Raquel Girvin, regional administrator for the FAA’s Western-Pacific Region. She also said the no-fly zone would include a ban on drones. 

Girvin said drone pilots who operators within the no-fly zone could face hefty fines and criminal prosecution. She added commercial flights in and out of Los Angeles airport won’t be impacted by the restrictions.

So far, there’s been no indication of terrorism threats by air or ground, according to Amir Ehsaei, the special agent in charge of counterterrorism at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s field office in Los Angeles.

“At this time, we have no indication of any credible threat to the Super Bowl or any related events,” Ehsaei said.

Air Force Maj. Andrew Scott with the Continental U.S. NORAD Region, headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida, said for football fans to relax and be at ease as “we will watch the skies. There will be a robust air-defense system in place on Super Bowl Sunday.” 

Besides fight jets patrolling the no-fly zone, spectators at the stadium will be in for a surprise when the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation conducts a “never-before-seen flyover formation,” featuring the branch’s 75 years of service.

The flyby will consist of a North American P-51 Mustang, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16, Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.