Traditionally, US military aircraft fly over the stadium where the Super Bowl is taking place exactly the second the national anthem ends. This year, the Pentagon has come up with something special in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States. US Air Force and US Navy will fly a joint formation. Normally it is the responsibility of only one armed force to carry out this prestigious maneuver in rotation.
Two B-1B Lancers will fly over Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8th. They come from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Two F-15C Eagles from the California Air National Guard from Fresno provide a connection to the state in which the event takes place. The US Navy is participating with two Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets and two Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning IIs. The carrier aircraft are stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California.
No flying during the game
During the Super Bowl, there is a temporary ban on flights over the region by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for safety reasons. Compliance is the responsibility of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which is responsible for air defense of North American airspace. To practice this, the command conducted the “Felix Hawk” maneuver on January 29, in which F-15 interceptors and C-17 transports took part.
Last year, the US Marine Corps formed the Super Bowl formation with F-35B Lightnings and MV-22B Ospreys. Before that (2024) it was the turn of the US Air Force with its Thunderbirds aerobatic team.
