Air Defender 2023

[Herby]

Seven months before one of the largest exercises ever in Germany will start on June 12th for two weeks, some more details were given.

Main operating bases will be Hohn and Jagel which will together host more than 50 (!) Air National Guard fighters (F-15, F-16 and A-10) and some European fighters.

The base for transports and tankers will be Wunstorf.

Arrival of the fighters and several supporting C-17 at Jagel and Hohn will start in early-June. It is possible that some fighters could even arrive much earlier for some USAF theatre exercises or even stay longer on other bases for the same reason.

More details will follow.

[CR-74050]

Sounds good!

[Sjoerd]

This article even mentions around 100 ANG aircraft and the use of Lechfeld as well.

https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/sc ... 77801.html

Reports suggest planning of this large scale exercise go back as far as early 2021.

[Herby]

.

[Canberra TT.18]

This article even mentions around 100 ANG aircraft and the use of Lechfeld as well.

https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/sc ... 77801.html

Reports suggest planning of this large scale exercise go back as far as early 2021.

Might be 100 aircraft including transport and tankers?

[Herby]

Today there was another briefing at HQ. So wait for new informations as everything could change and as I wrote above.

[Herby]

Operations at Wunstorf will comprise:

2 KC-46
8 ANG C-130
1 RomAF C-27J
1 LitAF C-27J
plus flying of 4 A400M of LTG 62

Per mission 12-14 aircraft will take off from here.

Jagel will get:

16 ANG F-16C (perhaps two different units)
12 ANG A-10
5 HuAF JAS39
plus flying of 6-8 TLwG 51 Tornados

Hohn is planned for:

32 ANG F-15C (4-5 different units)

Neuburg and Laage will also take part with their based wings. Lechfeld should also participate (presumably also A-10). Geilenkirchen will also participate.

More infos will follow, especially with the right behavior advice of all spotters near this bases (parking etc.).

Changes could happen.

[Herby]

Requests from Finish AF and THK to the Luftwaffe for participating the exercise had been made. Time will tell if the already crowded bases could host them.

Lechfeld will presumably now take 12 ANG A-10.

[Flyboy]

according this article the german airbases would be the stagingfields for other exercises as wel. Could it be that THK and Finland invite forces to their exercises? Just asking without any furter knowledge.

[Herby]

The final planning obviously hadn’t started. But there should be many activitiy around the participants going away for one or more days to the Baltic and East Europe and return.

[Infinite_1]

According to NATO the exercise is (only) from 11.06. - 22.06.

https://shape.nato.int/nato-exercises

[Herby]

Of course, but the period was already posted. But June 11th is a Sunday.

[Herby]

Only a quick update from me:

Obviously the exercise will become even bigger with some additional participants and more Tanker aircrafts. More will follow.

The first USAF C-17A will come to Jagel shortly for landing/take off/taxying trials and to show the loading/offloading possibilities.

[Canberra TT.18]

Only a quick update from me:

Obviously the exercise will become even bigger with some additional participants and more Tanker aircrafts. More will follow.

The first USAF C-17A will come to Jagel shortly for landing/take off/taxying trials and to show the loading/offloading possibilities.

https://www.daec.de/news/news-detail/lu ... nder-2023/
Mentioning participation of up to 200 aircraft from 15 countries!

[Herby]

That should be possible:

70+ ANG fighters
50+ Luftwaffe fighters
30 tankers/transports
30 fighter from other nations