In June, “Air Defender 23”, the largest air war exercise since NATO was founded, takes place in Germany. A map shows exactly where the maneuver is taking place.
Cologne – It is a maneuver of superlatives that will take place in June in and above all over Germany. We are talking about the exercise “Air Defender“, in which 25 nations with over 200 aircraft, including many fighter jets, will take part. “Air Defender 23 is the largest air force deployment exercise since NATO was founded,” the Bundeswehr said. When does the exercise take place? Where will the fighter jets be seen? And which nations are participating? We answer the most important questions in this overview.
What exactly is Air Defender 23?
Under the name of “Air Defender 23” is a major NATO exercise in June 2023 in Germany. “The 25 partners and NATO are practicing the joint responsiveness of their air forces in a crisis situation,” the Bundeswehr said. The German Air Force is in command of the operation. Germany acts as a so-called “defence hub” in Europe. Air Defender is according to the Bundeswehr the largest air operations exercise since the founding of NATO in 1949.
“The aim is to optimize and expand the cooperation between the participating nations and at the same time to show strength in the alliance,” explains the Bundeswehr. The 25 participating NATO partners participate with 220 aircraft and fighter jets at the exercise, including 100 from the USA alone.
When does Air Defender 23 take place and where can the NATO exercise be seen?
Air Defender 23 runs June 12-23. Basically should the fighter jets and other aircraft then Monday to Friday in three flight corridors, subdivided into north, east and south, will be traveling through Germany. There are no exercises scheduled on the weekends. For each flight corridor, the airspace is then closed to civil air traffic at certain times and may only be used for military purposes. The following list refers to the current planning of the Luftwaffe. There could still be changes.
Flight Corridor North:
► Territory: large parts of Schleswig-Holstein, the north and west of Lower Saxony, the north of NRW (north of Munster), parts of the North Sea
► Altitude (above sea level): Depending on the region between Flight Level 080 (about 2438 meters) and Flight Level 660 (about 18,470 meters)
► Period: From June 12th to June 16th: 4pm to 8pm; 19 June to 23 June: 4pm to 8pm
Flight Corridor South:
► Territory: Saarland, the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, parts of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria
► Altitude (above sea level): Depending on the region between Flight Level 100 (about 2900 meters) and Flight Level 660 (about 18,470 meters)
► Period: From June 12th to June 16th: 1pm to 5pm; 19 June to 23 June: 1pm to 5pm
Flight Corridor East:
► Territory: Parts of the Baltic Sea, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Brandenburg, Berlin, and Saxony
► Altitude (above sea level): Depending on the region between Flight Level 100 (about 2,900 meters) and Flight Level 660 (about 18,470 meters)
► Period: From June 12th to June 16th: 10am to 2pm; 19 June to 23 June: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m
At what bases are jets stationed for Air Defender?
There will be a total of six bases in Germany for Air Defender 23, where the fighter jets of the Air Force and other nations will be stationed. These six bases are:
- Schleswig/Hohn (Schleswig-Holstein)
- Lechfeld (Bavaria)
- Wunstorf (Lower Saxony)
- Neuburg (Bavaria)
- Geilenkirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia)
- Spangdahlem (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Schleswig/Hohn, Wunstort and Lechfeld are the main hubs for the exercise. That is why by far the most fighter jets will be stationed there. According to the Air Force, additional missions will also be launched from Spangdahlem as well as from Volkel in the Netherlands and Čáslav in the Czech Republic.
Which nations are participating in Air Defender 23?
In addition to Germany, 24 other NATO member countries are taking part in Air Defender 23. In addition to Japan, the USA and the United Kingdom, this also includes the youngest NATO member, Finland. A complete list of the participating countries can be found here:
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Denmark
- Germany
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Greece
- Italy
- Japan
- Croatia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Poland
- Romania
- Sweden
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Czech Republic
- Türkiye
- Hungary
- USA
- United Kingdom
All nations involved should be in the relocate their planes to Germany a week before the exercise.
Air Defender Launches in June: What else is happening in the last few weeks
Even if Air Defender does not start until June 12, the German Air Force has been dealing with the major project for weeks and months. But right now things are really getting hot. “The final preparations are currently in full swing,” explains Lieutenant Colonel Matthias Boehnke when asked 24RHINE by Ippen.Media. This is how the accommodations are currently being set up. After all, around 10,000 soldiers are expected. The necessary IT infrastructure is also still being worked on. But the Air Force is optimistic. “We’re on the right track, but there’s still plenty of work left to do,” says Boehnke. (bs)
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