MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – When you see jets flying overhead and hear bombs, your first instinct may be to think we’re under attack.
The U.S. Forest Service in Florida says it’s just a military training exercise.
The Forest Service posted an advisory on its Facebook page indicating the Ocala National Forest has activated a safety perimeter for Navy training this week.
The post says the U.S. Navy has live and inert bombing exercises Tuesday through Friday at the Pinecastle Bombing Range Complex, located about 2 miles west of State Road 19.
The training schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Feb. 27: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (Live/Inert)
Wednesday, Feb. 28: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Live/Inert)
Thursday, Feb. 29: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Live/Inert)
Friday, March 01: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Live/Inert)
According to the website militarybases.us, “F-18 jet fighters and other aircraft take off from Jacksonville Naval Air Station (NAS), fly low over the Forest, and drop their bombs in the middle 450 acres of the range.” The military says the Pinecastle Impact Range is the only place on the East Coast where the Navy can do live impact training.
“The Navy drops nearly 20,000 bombs a year at the site, a few hundred of which are live,” according to the website. “The Navy has used nearly 6,000 acres of the 382,000-acre forest for target practice for 50 years under a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service.”
The Forest Service says wildlife may be temporarily displaced during bombing periods. The agency urges residents to use caution when driving through the Ocala National Forest and surrounding areas.
The post thanks residents for understanding and supporting the military training missions. That said, if you have complaints about the noise, you’re asked to send an email to the NAS at nasjax.noisecomplaints@us.navy.mil or call 800-874-5059.