As of: November 27, 2023 2:00 a.m
Starting today, the Air Force is practicing for the first time how a large city can be defended in an emergency as part of “Hannover Shield”. Air traffic in Langenhagen should not be affected.
Three unarmed Eurofighters are scheduled to land at the airport in the afternoon, said Brigadier General Frank Gräfe ahead of the week-long maneuver. Core exercise days are on Tuesday and Wednesday, after which the combat aircraft should take off and land a total of eight times, said Gräfe. According to the information, the jets belong to Tactical Air Force Squadron 71 “Richthofen” in Wittmund. In the morning and at noon, the combat aircraft will take off from Langenhagen airport in a formation of two towards the North Sea. Gräfe explained that the aircraft train there instead of over the state capital by saying that they can fly significantly lower in the training airspace over the North Sea. The aim of the exercise is to protect the population from the air in order to be able to identify and intercept a threat, for example in the form of a drone or a cruise missile, as quickly as possible. In the event of a real crisis, the air force can be mobilized within a few hours, according to Gräfe.
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Airport provides infrastructure
Hanover Airport plays a special role in this maneuver to train the protection of “a major German city or a population center,” said Brigadier General Gräfe. For the first time, the entire infrastructure of a civil airport will be used for an Air Force training maneuver over a longer period of time. For example, power supply, electronics, equipment such as forklifts and accommodation for the flight crew from the airport and the fire department will be provided. Both the ground staff as well as the fire department and the tower could be prepared for an emergency, said Gräfe. On Thursday, the three Eurofighters are to be transferred back to Rostock-Lage, where the alarm squad is currently stationed due to the renovation of the military airport in Wittmund.
The landing site in Hanover serves as an alternative airport
Hanover Airport was chosen for the exercise because the Air Force could use it as an alternative airport at any time, said Gräfe. Among other things, because it is open around the clock, 365 days a year. However, the exercise will only take place during the day, said Gräfe. In general, every military aircraft that takes to the air needs an alternative airfield if landing at the actual destination airport is not possible, for example because of the weather, explained Gräfe. There used to be enough military airports that could have been used, but things have changed now. That’s why civil airports are now also used as alternative options, as Gräfe said.
VIDEO: Air Force informs about exercise “Hannover Shield” (1 min)
Air traffic not affected
“We see it as a civic duty to support the Bundeswehr,” said airport managing director Martin Roll at the state press conference. The exercise means “no restrictions whatsoever” for passengers at Langenhagen airport. In the Hanover region, hardly anything will be heard of the flight maneuver: Since the Eurofighters do not carry out alarm takeoffs, no sonic booms will be heard, said Gräfe.
Ensure the defense of Germany
With the air force maneuver, the Bundeswehr is building on the national security strategy adopted in the summer. The armed forces’ core mission is therefore national and alliance defense. As part of the major “Air Defender” exercise, 25 nations trained joint air operations over Europe in June, and there was also a lot of noise over Hanover. At the beginning of November, Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Carsten Breuer, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, presented the new guidelines for implementing this project. “We must be the backbone of deterrence and collective defense in Europe,” said Pistorius. One aspect of the policy paper, which serves as a “compass for the Bundeswehr”, is the cooperation of the Air Force with civil infrastructure facilities. This is also a central component of the planned exercise, according to the Bundeswehr.
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