Jan. 31 (UPI) — The Department of Energy said Friday low-altitude helicopter flights to measure background radiation will be done over New Orleans Feb. 2 through Feb. 6 as part of security precautions for the Super Bowl to be played Feb. 9.
The DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration will conduct the flights using a Leonardo AW-139 helicopter.
In a statement, the DOE said, “The public may see a Leonardo AW-139 helicopter, which is equipped with radiation sensing technology. The helicopter will fly at relatively low levels, and flyovers will only occur during daylight hours.”
The DOE said the aerial radiation assessments are routine part of conducting security and emergency preparedness activities.
NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier said Thursday Super Bowl fans are likely to notice more visible security presence following the Jan. 1 attack that killed 15 people when Shamsud-Din-Jabbar plowed a truck into a crowd in the city.
The DOE said it is making the public aware of the radiation assessment flights in new Orleans Feb. 2-Feb. 6 “so citizens who see the low-flying aircraft are not alarmed.”
The NNSA’s aerial measuring system uses both helicopters and airplanes. It was implemented in 1958 to support the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to DOE, the AMS allows scientists to communicate in real time with National Laboratories experts to support rapid protective action decisions.
The AMS fleet consists of two Beechcraft BN-350 Extended Range fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters.
AMS was used first operationally in nuclear arms testing at the Nevada Test Site to measure radiation levels above ground after underground nuclear weapons tests.
AMS helicopters were also used during the 1979 Three Mile Island accident.