The international air force maneuver “Air Defender 2023” begins this Monday with 25 nations, almost 240 aircraft and around 10,000 soldiers involved. The air forces want to train the NATO stand-by situation, in which the allies rush to the aid of an attacked member state. Three training airspaces in the north, east and south of Germany are reserved for this.
In the south, the corridor extends from the Bavarian part of Swabia to Rhineland-Palatinate, the military aircraft will fly every day from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at an altitude of 3,000 meters or more. According to the commander of tactical Air Force Squadron 74 in Neuburg an der Donau, around 35 to 40 military aircraft will be in the air at the same time in this southern airspace during exercise times.
The Air Force assumes that civil air traffic will not be severely affected. The airports in North Rhine-Westphalia are preparing for delays that can extend into the night hours. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Transport Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens) had announced in advance that the effects on civil aviation would be difficult to calculate. According to the three Bavarian airports from last week, flight cancellations are not foreseeable, but delays are possible.
The main base in Bavaria is the Lechfeld Air Base south of Augsburg. Both a unit of the US armed forces and Greek warplanes are temporarily stationed there. The German Air Force is in charge of the exercise, but the United States has the largest contingent with 104 aircraft.
Protests on the eve of the exercise
Before the start of the exercise, around 150 people demonstrated against the Luftwaffe maneuvers in Pfalzheim on the Kyritz-Ruppiner Heide on Sunday. The left in Brandenburg had organized the protest. Participants laid a large peace sign with a blue cloth on the Sielmann hill, which could also be seen from the air.
“Air Defender 2023” is an irresponsible game with fire, said the state manager of the Left Party, Stefan Wollenberg.
(Photo: Paul Zinken/dpa)
According to the plans, the western part of the country will be affected by the flights for Brandenburg, and for Berlin as well. The exercise coincides with the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin from June 17th to 25th. “Air Defender 2023” is an irresponsible game with fire, said the state manager of the Left Party, Stefan Wollenberg, of the German Press Agency. “We are finally demanding serious diplomatic initiatives from the federal government to end the Ukraine war instead of military threats and constant rearmament.”