Flight, boat ops slated

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group will conduct boat operations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay, Feb. 2 and Feb. 6-9. Each morning, fighter aircraft will release munitions between 8 a.m. and noon in the Gulf of Mexico about 20 nautical miles south of Destin. The test will be conducted within a cleared range safety area which includes boat surveillance. In the afternoons between 1 and 5 p.m., about 30 boats traveling 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. No weapons or ammunition will be involved with this boat formation. (Source: 53rd Wing Public Affairs, 01/30/17)