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On June 12, the largest air operations exercise in NATO’s history begins under Germany’s leadership.
It is a maneuver of the superlatives, which is to start in German airspace from June 12 to 23 under the leadership of the German Air Force, even the largest relocation exercise since the founding of NATO.
For the “Air Defender” maneuver, 25 of the 31 member states of the alliance are providing a total of 250 aircraft. Around 10,000 military personnel are taking part in the exercise.
An attack on Germany is simulated. It is important for the Bundeswehr to clarify that this is not an attack exercise: “We are a defensive alliance, and this exercise is also designed to be defensive,” emphasized the Air Force Inspector, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, in Berlin. Referring to Russia, he added: “This exercise is not directed against anyone.”
Aircraft stationed in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic
There will be numerous exercise missions under the leadership of the Luftwaffe. A total of 2000 flights are planned during the exercise, mainly in German airspace, but also in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
Gerhartz stressed that NATO airspace would not be left. “We don’t make any flights to Kaliningrad.” The nature of the exercise is defensive, but NATO will make it unmistakably clear that the alliance area is the “red line” and will be defended with all means.
According to Gerhartz, planning for “Air Defender” began under German leadership in 2018. At that time, the impression was taken of Russia’s illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. It was clear that NATO had to focus more on national and alliance defense again.
Where is practiced?
The practice flights are to take place in three narrowly defined airspaces, which are used alternately on weekdays. An east exercise room over Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the Baltic Sea is to be the only one reserved for low-level flights from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Training airspaces Air Defender 2023
The practice rooms are used alternately. Nevertheless, the air exercise will have an impact on air traffic.
The South room stretches from Lechfeld in Bavaria to Rhineland-Palatinate and is to be used from 1pm to 5pm, before being handed over to the North room over the North Sea from 4pm to 8pm.
Effects on civil aviation
Lieutenant General Gerhartz said that there could also be restrictions on civil air traffic. Increased aircraft noise is also to be expected. However, this can be justified in view of ensuring the alliance’s ability to defend itself.
Whether there will only be individual flight delays, as announced by the Bundeswehr, is controversial. Because in areas where military pilots fly on sight, civilian machines have lost nothing for safety reasons.
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A US Air Force F-16 fighter jet takes off from an air force base. The F-16 jet is one of 23 different aircraft types involved in the exercise.
Paulo Whitaker/Reuters
“The military exercise ‘Air Defender’ will of course have a massive impact on the course of civil aviation,” says the head of the GdF pilots’ union, Matthias Maas. Due to the staggered practice times, passengers on civilian flights can hope for punctual take-offs and landings most likely in the early morning hours and at weekends.