Status: 06/12/2023 05:18 a.m
The air defense exercise “Air Defender 23” begins in Germany today. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is one of three training areas for the maneuver, and this is also where the only low-flying area is located.
250 aircraft from 25 nations are taking part in the international air force exercise – including Eurofighters from the Laage Air Force Squadron. The maneuver is scheduled to last nine days, from June 12 to 23, and a total of 2,000 flights are planned.
Further information
Airport Laage does not expect any restrictions
The “exercise room east” is located over large parts of eastern Germany. A flight ban for civil aircraft applies here until June 23, Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to the press spokesman, Rostock-Laage Airport does not expect any effects on air traffic. However, air traffic controllers and politicians across Germany are assuming restrictions and chaos at airports due to Air Defender.
Low-flying area in the “exercise room east”
The only low-flying area for the exercise is over Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and parts of Brandenburg. It stretches east from Rostock and Parchim to Wolgast, north to the port of Mukran and south to Neustrelitz. Refueling maneuvers in the air from the ground could also be seen here. According to the Bundeswehr, a distance of 150 meters from the ground is generally maintained above inhabited areas.
Simulated attack on the port of Rostock
In an imaginary scenario, the participants in the maneuver are supposed to practice pushing back enemy troops who want to take over the port of Rostock. In principle, there will be no low-level flights over large cities, said a spokesman for the Bundeswehr, not even in Rostock.
Further information
Details of the maneuvers secret
The Bundeswehr admits that it is getting loud over Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and in many parts of Germany. There will be a lot more air traffic in the sky overall – even if a large part of the exercise takes place over the Baltic Sea. It is unclear where refueling maneuvers and other flight movements can best be observed from the ground: the individual maneuvers are secret and the pilots only find out about their mission during the exercise. There will probably be more air traffic around Laage and possibly from Warnemünde in an easterly direction over the Baltic Sea and definitely in the low-flying area. However, it is unclear whether it will start on Monday or only in the following days.
Air Force exercise “Air Defender 23”
