NATO's largest ever air exercise is happening in Germany

More than 10,000 soldiers and 250 aircraft from 25 countries are taking part in NATO's 'Air Defender 23' exercise between June 12 to 23, 2023. But how did this mammoth event come about and what impact will it have on Europe's civil air traffic?

For 12 days, fighter jets will cross the sky over Germany and Europe. It is the largest air force maneuver in NATO history and some are saying it is happening because of the war in Ukraine.

As strange as it may sound, though, 'Air Defender' has nothing to do with the current war in Ukraine according to The Bundeswehr (Germany's Armed Forces) which wrote on its website: "The exercise was initiated by Germany in 2018... and will take place in the summer under German leadership."

The trigger for the planned exercise was the annexation of Crimea, said Lieutenant General of the Bundeswehr Air Force Ingo Gerhartz (pictured) on Friday, May 9th in Jagel, the main location of the exercise.

The beginning of the exercise was explained by the Bundeswehr as follows: air and ground forces of the opposing Occasus alliance will occupy the fictional region of Klebius in eastern Germany - a total of around a quarter of the country.

The Occasus Alliance's units plan to push north to the Baltic Sea and seize a port. In the meantime, the Western Alliance will enact Article 5 of the NATO treaty and initiate defense against the Occasus Alliance.

In addition to Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary, the USA and Great Britain, Sweden, and Japan will take part in the exercise

The Bundeswehr explained on its website that "Air Defender 23 is not a NATO exercise, but a multinational exercise under German leadership." It went on to say: "Critics had accused NATO of wanting to provoke Russia with the large-scale exercise in the middle of Europe."

In the picture: Lieutenant General of the US Air National Guard Michael A. Loh (left) and Lieutenant General of the German Air Force Ingo Gerhartz.

However, Lieutenant General Günter Katz from the Bundeswehr Air Force Command also said to the YouTube format 'Demanded': "Of course, NATO also wants to show that it is capable of defending itself and is ready to defend itself."

Richard Hunt, commander of the 175th unit of the Air National Guard in Maryland, which is taking part in the exercise, told reservists according to the German news outlet Tagesschau: “It is the largest deployment of US air forces to Europe since NATO was founded. Remember why NATO was founded: to deter Soviet, Russian aggression today - and there is war in Europe".

According to information from Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), a German air navigation service, travelers should expect delays and longer flight times due to the maneuver, as civil passenger aircraft have to fly around restricted areas.

The Ministry of Defense in Berlin refers to simulations by Eurocontrol, which had shown that "no flight cancellations" were to be expected during the maneuver, "at most delays".

The air traffic control union (GdF), on the other hand, fears that air travelers will have to expect a total of 50,000 minutes of delay every day.

The GdF also assumes that there will be massive cancellations of civil flights. The reason: Many machines will not reach their destination in time, so that they will not be available at the planned location the following day. This was announced in a press release on May 25, 2023.

Lieutenant General Günter Katz from the Bundeswehr Air Force Command explained that the expected airspace closures are intended to prevent accidents, so international flyers should beware!

"We want to avoid civil aircraft flying into this air battle, which is also very dynamic, in order to ensure the greatest possible safety for civil aviation,"  Katz said. "We really do everything that is possible to avoid accidents.”

There are three sectors, each of which will be closed for several hours a day: Airspace East (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to the Baltic Sea) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. South airspace (Bavaria to Baden-Württemberg) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Airspace North (over the North Sea) from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. There are no exercises at night or on weekends.

According to the Bundeswehr, the German Air Force is involved with 64 machines. Among them are 16 tornadoes, which are used for reconnaissance and combat. 100 machines come from the USA.

According to the Bundeswehr, the Eurofighter forms "the backbone of the German combat aircraft fleet". The Eurofighter can fly at supersonic speed for a long period of time. 30 Eurofighters from the Bundeswehr are to be used in the exercise.

Five Airbus A400Ms will also be involved. According to the Bundeswehr, the military transport aircraft can accommodate up to 114 soldiers, a Tiger attack helicopter, four Wolf-type off-road vehicles or even a Puma infantry fighting vehicle. It can also be used as a tank and hospital aircraft.

Also included will be the F-15 Eagle, which has been in service with the US Air Force since 1976.

The F-16 fighter jet is one of the most powerful military jets in the world. It can be used both in air defense and against ground targets.

The USA and the Netherlands are taking part in 'Air Defender 23' with F-35 fighter jets, among others. The stealth multi-role fighter aircraft can only be detected by enemy radars very late.

For more than 40 years, the US Air Force has relied on the Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. The twin-engine subsonic jet is intended for use against ground targets and armored vehicles.