Military exercise: Gunshots, explosions, smoke expected Saturday

Vehicles leaving gate 1B at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Tuesday afternoon. THOMAS GNAU/STAFF

Vehicles leaving gate 1B at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Tuesday afternoon. THOMAS GNAU/STAFF

People living near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright State University and Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport may hear gunshots and aircraft, as well as see smoke and flashes as the 178th Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard hosts a military training exercise Saturday.

In a release, the 178th Wing said that the exercise will simulate medical operations after an invasion in a contested space, and will take place simultaneously at the base, the airport and the university’s Calamityville Training and Research Facility in Fairborn.

People in the area may hear gunshots and explosions, and there will be increased aircraft traffic, the release said. The air national guard asked area residents not to call 911 to report the activity.

The 178th Wing said it was holding the exercise for the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron in coordination with the 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

The Air Force, Army and Marine Corps will also conduct Close Air Support training Saturday in southern Ohio around and between the communities of Bardwell, Leesburg, Staunton, Chillicothe, West Portsmouth and Georgetown.

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