Yesterday's Washington D.C. Air Alert Revealed a Secret Missile Battery
The Avenger missile system protects the White House from air attack.
- A mysterious radar track yesterday prompted Washington D.C. to go on alert.
- A search of the area turned up nothing.
- A reporter for CBS News noticed a missile launcher during the alert.
A mysterious radar return prompted yesterday that an unauthorized aircraft was flying over the restricted airspace of Washington D.C. A search of the area reportedly turned up nothing, but one reporter located in the city did notice something: a surface to air missile system across the street from the White House.
At approximately 8:30am local time, a “track of interest” on a radar at the Capitol Police command center was detected over Washington D.C. The track was described as a “slow moving blob.”
Washington’s skies are heavily regulated, the result of the 9/11 attacks in order to protect the White House, Capitol building, and other government locations. North American Air Defense Command, or NORAD, sent a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter to investigate. The helicopter, call sign “Blackjack,” did not notice anything unusual but note it nearly ran into a flock of birds at 1,300 feet.
The alert lasted 45 minutes. During that time a CBS News reporter, Sara Cook, noticed something unusual on a building across the street from the White House: a missile launcher.
.@SecretService statement on this morning's lockdown at the White House:
“The White House was locked down this morning due to a potential violation of the restricted airspace in the National Capital Region. The lockdown has been lifted at this time.”
Spotted during the lockdown: a missile battery in position atop a building across the street from the White House
The launcher is an Avenger air defense missile system. Avenger consists of eight Stinger missiles and a M3 .50 caliber machine gun, and was originally designed to protect U.S. Army forces from low-level air attack. Avenger is typically mounted on a Humvee, but the Washington system appears to be mounted on a pedestal on top of the building.
Stinger is a short range system with a relatively small explosive warhead, so it is ideally suited for shooting down hostile small aircraft, drones, and other threats in and around the White House. Stinger missiles are infrared-guided and have a range of approximately two miles.
The Avenger system could be the missile launcher first spotted in 2004, on top of the nearby New Executive Office Building. It appears to be in a position where it is only noticeable from certain locations on the ground. It is visible on Google Maps on the northwest corner of the building.
