64-481: The Airbus A310 MRTT Multi-Role Tanker Transport is a military air-to-air refuelling , or in-flight refuelling tanker transport aircraft, capable of operating multi-role missions. The A310 MRTT tanker aircraft is a subsequent development from the earlier Airbus A310 MRT Multi-Role Transport , which was a military transport aircraft for passengers, cargo, and medical evacuation. The A310 MRT and A310 MRTT are both specialist military conversions of existing airframes of
128-441: A 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 kilometres; 1,200 miles) mission. All fuel to receiver aircraft is supplied directly from the centre tank, if necessary, drawing fuel from conventional fuel tanks; this is controlled automatically by the fuel management system together with the centre of gravity computer, to ensure correct fuel feed to the engines , and maintaining the correct centre of gravity in flight. The dual hose and drogue system
192-746: A 7th Air Force division was raised in Schleswig-Holstein containing flying units, missile units, support units, and the German Navy's naval aviation and placed under command of Allied Forces Baltic Approaches . In 1960, the Luftwaffe received its first Lockheed F-104 Starfighter jets. The Starfighter remained in service for the entire duration of the Cold War, with the last being taken out of service in 1991. The Luftwaffe received 916 Starfighters, 292 of which crashed, resulting in
256-740: A NATO air force. However, as the Luftstreitkräfte der NVA were supplied exclusively with Eastern Bloc -produced aircraft, such as the Sukhoi Su-17 , MiG-21 , MiG-23 and MiG-29 fighters, most of the equipment was not compatible with the West German NATO equipment and therefore taken out of service and sold or given to new members of NATO in Eastern Europe, such as Poland and the Baltic states. An exception to this
320-694: A body created in 2013 by the merger of the Air Force Office ( Luftwaffenamt ), German Air Staff ( Führungsstab der Luftwaffe ), and Air Force Forces Command ( Luftwaffenführungskommando ). Similar to the Air Staff of the United States Air Force , the German Air Force Command is a force-providing command, not an operational command. The Air Force Command is tasked with ensuring the combat readiness of
384-1077: A direct combat role as part of the Kosovo War along with the other NATO powers. This event was noted as significant in the British press with The Sun running the headline " Luftwaffe and the RAF into battle side by side". The Luftwaffe sent in Fighter Bomber Wing 32 , equipped with ECR Tornados, which flew missions to suppress enemy air defenses in and around Kosovo. These fighter-bombers were equipped with an electronic countermeasures pod, one AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile for self-defence, and an AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missile (anti-radar). The bomber wing flew 2108 hours and 446 sorties, firing 236 HARM missiles at hostile targets. No manned Luftwaffe planes were lost in combat during this campaign. In 2005 and 2008, Luftwaffe F-4F Phantom II fighter planes took part in
448-452: A flying boom refuelling system such as that used by the United States Air Force (USAF). They are now able to offer air tankers from the A310 with air-to-air refuelling pods to the larger A330 MRTT equipped with refuelling booms. When installed, the flying boom system can deliver fuel to receiver aircraft at a rate of 1,200 US gallons (4,500 litres ; 1,000 imperial gallons ) per minute, and
512-592: A significant proportion of Germany's military aircraft was reported to be unserviceable. It was reported that around half of the Eurofighters and Tornados were not currently airworthy and that the aging C-160 fleet remained in limited service while awaiting the introduction of the Airbus A400M , the first of which was delivered in December 2014. Ursula von der Leyen admitted that, due to the poor state of
576-484: A similar fuel capacity to the KC-135R . Because of the larger passenger cabin, it is much more flexible, offering good capacity for cargo, troop transport , VIP transport , or other uses; and lacking only the capacity to land on rough strips to qualify as a strategic transport. Airbus hopes to sell it to some of the countries that need to replace the aging Boeing 707s they use as tankers. The first operational use with
640-405: A total of 143 Eurofighter Typhoon . A fighter-bomber wing fielding Panavia Tornado IDS planes remains in service at Büchel Air Base . The Reconnaissance Wing 51 will remain in service at Schleswig Air Base and add one drone squadron to its Panavia Tornado ECR squadron. The Kommando Luftwaffe has two main elements subordinate to it: Individual Air Force units are either part of
704-757: A troop transport role, the A310 MRTT can accommodate up to 214 seats . And for a mixed-use combined troop transport and cargo, it can carry 54 troops and 12 pallets. The A310 MRTT contains four separate cargo systems within the fuselage , including the main deck cargo compartment, which is loaded and unloaded via the vertically opening main deck cargo door, located on the front left ( port ) side. This means that main deck cargo can be loaded by overhead crane, in addition to conventional cargo loading platforms. Below deck are three more cargo compartments, and can accommodate container and palletised loads up to 96 inches (2,400 millimetres) in height. When used in
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#1732780035843768-533: Is participating in NATO 's nuclear sharing concept. Nuclear sharing is a concept that involves member countries without nuclear weapons of their own in the planning for the use of nuclear weapons by NATO, and in particular, provides for the armed forces of these countries to be involved in delivering these weapons in the event of their use. Soon after its founding, the German Air Force began to train with
832-440: Is supplied by two hose drum units (HDU) centrally mounted side by side in the rear fuselage. The A310 MRTT is 30% smaller by MTOW than the newer A330 MRTT. Since the production of A310 airframes was discontinued in 2007, the air-to-air refuelling conversion can only be made on existing refurbished airliners, or as an upgrade to A310 MRTs already used by air forces (the option taken by Germany and Canada). As an air tanker, it has
896-620: Is the aerial warfare branch of the Bundeswehr , the armed forces of Germany . The German Air Force (as part of the Bundeswehr ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Germany . After the reunification of West and East Germany in 1990, it integrated parts of the air force of the former German Democratic Republic , which itself had been founded in 1956 as part of
960-689: The Bundeswehr 's equipment, Germany was no longer able to fulfill its NATO commitments. The German Air Force was one of the founding members of the European Air Transport Command headquartered in Eindhoven - The Netherlands and most of the Transport & Tanker assets have been transferred under EATC management. The replacement of four Airbus A310 MRTT by the Airbus A330 MRTT was approved in 2018 by joining
1024-761: The Luftwaffe Air Base in Mazar-i-Sharif. Also, Luftwaffe C-160 Transall have flown transport plane missions in and around Afghanistan. Since the 1970s, the West German (and, post-reunification, German) Luftwaffe (as well as many other European air forces) has actively pursued the construction of European internationally made warplanes , such as the Panavia Tornado and the Eurofighter Typhoon introduced into
1088-590: The Luftwaffe in 2006. On 13 January 2004, the Minister of Defence , Peter Struck , announced major changes in the future of the German armed forces . A major part of this announcement was a plan to cut the number of fighter planes from 426 in early 2004, to 265 by 2015. Assuming that the plans to order 180 Typhoons is carried out in full, and all of the F-4 Phantoms are removed from service, this would cut
1152-686: The Luftwaffe opened the German Air Force Command USA/Canada ( Deutsches Luftwaffenkommando USA/Kanada ) in Fort Bliss , where the Luftwaffe trained its missile and air defense troops, and pilots received their basic training. At the same time, the Luftwaffe opened a Tactical Training Command in Beja , Portugal , where pilots were trained in Close Air Support missions. Between 1967 and 1970,
1216-704: The Luftwaffe under the nuclear sharing agreement. In 2007, 22 B61 nuclear bombs were still kept in Germany, stored at the Büchel Air Base for use with Tornado IDS fighter-bombers of the Tactical Air Force Wing 33 . The American nuclear weapons formerly stored at Nörvenich Air Base , Ramstein Air Base , and Memmingen Air Base were all withdrawn from Germany during the mid-and-late-1990s. By international treaties between Germany and
1280-440: The Luftwaffe undertook a major reorganization of its forces. The two operational commands were disbanded and the four mixed Air Force divisions were divided into two flying divisions and two air defense divisions. The remainder of the units were divided into functional commands: Over the next decade, the Luftwaffe received large amounts of new equipment, including in 1968 the first C-160 Transall transport planes, in 1974
1344-579: The Luftwaffe , and the start of a strategic direction for Luftwaffe pilots to engage in tactical and combat training outside of Germany. However, the F-104 never lived down its reputation as a "widow-maker", and was replaced by the Luftwaffe with the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter and the Panavia Tornado fighter-bomber in many units much earlier than in other national air forces. On Steinhoff's initiative,
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#17327800358431408-524: The Luftwaffe , with Rall as his immediate successor. Another pilot of World War II, Josef Kammhuber , also made a significant career in the post-war Luftwaffe , retiring in 1962 as Chief Inspector of the Air Force ( Inspekteur der Luftwaffe ). Despite the partial reliance of the new air force on airmen who had served in the Wehrmacht 's air arm, there was no organizational continuity between
1472-726: The Baltic Air Policing operation (of NATO), and these fighters were supplemented in 2009 by units flying the Typhoon . In 2006, to support military operations in Afghanistan , the Luftwaffe sent over several Panavia Tornado reconnaissance planes from the 51st Reconnaissance Wing "Immelmann" ( Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 "Immelmann" ), stationed in Mazar-i-Sharif , Northern Afghanistan. There have also been assorted German Army helicopters flying from
1536-587: The CC-150 Polaris in Canadian service, the first also delivered October 2004. During June 2007, EADS delivered the first upgraded A310 MRTT with new mission avionics to the German Air Force. This new mission avionics suite facilitated the allocation of the upgraded A310 MRTT to NATO Reaction Forces . While the original and current A310 MRTTs rely on probe and drogue for air-to-air refuelling, EADS has invested $ 90m in research and development of
1600-546: The F-4 Phantom II fighter-bombers, in 1978 the first Alpha Jet Version A light attack jets and in 1979 the first of 212 Panavia Tornado fighters. In 1986, the air defense forces began to replace their Nike Hercules missile systems with state-of-the-art surface-to-air missile systems: first to arrive was the MIM-104 Patriot system, followed one year later by Roland short-range missile system. Germany
1664-581: The Israeli Air Force exercise "Blue Flag", the country's largest international air combat exercise, designed to simulate extreme combat scenarios. The German Air Force's six Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets were from Tactical Air Force Squadron 73 Steinhoff from Rostock. It is the first German participation in the Blue Flag exercise. In 2018, the Air Force issued a request for information from manufacturers about four potential aircraft to replace
1728-587: The National People's Army . There is no organizational continuity between the current German Air Force and the former Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht founded in 1935, which was completely disbanded in 1945/46 after World War II . The term Luftwaffe that is used for both the historic and the current German air force is the German-language generic designation of any air force. The commander of
1792-673: The aero - medical MedEvac role, the A310 MRTT can accommodate up to six intensive care units , together with 56 conventional stretchers . Operated by a crew of three: two pilots and the air-to-air refuelling (AAR) operator, the pilots are able to directly operate all functions of in-flight refuelling, even if the AAR post is deactivated. Depending on mission, the A310 MRTT can deliver up to 33 tonnes (32 long tons ; 36 short tons ) of fuel to receiver aircraft on an operation of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 kilometres ; 3,500 miles ), or up to 40 tonnes (39 long tons; 44 short tons) of fuel during
1856-719: The "Big Four" powers in Europe (that formerly occupied Germany), East Germany was a nuclear-free zone. The Big Four powers are the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, and the latter three have no nuclear weapons in Germany anymore. After German reunification in October 1990, the aircraft and personnel of the former GDR air force, the Luftstreitkräfte der NVA were taken. The remnants of
1920-532: The A310 MRT involves: The design of the in-flight refuelling pod and wing reinforcements and systems was subcontracted to ITD SA, at that time part of the Industria de Turbo Propulsores (ITP) Group. When not used as an in-flight refueller, i.e., in an air cargo role, the A310 MRTT is capable of carrying a non-fuel payload of up to 37 tonnes (36 long tons ; 41 short tons ), or 81,600 lb. When used in
1984-730: The East German Air Force were placed under the newly formed 5th Air Force Division ( 5. Luftwaffendivision ) in Strausberg . In 1993, the division was renamed 3rd Air Force Division ( 3. Luftwaffendivision ), moved to Gatow in Berlin and in 1995 assigned to NATO. By 1990, the East German plane markings had been replaced by the Air Force Iron Cross, the first time Soviet-built aircraft had served in
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2048-1020: The Eurofighter in a competition for Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), against competition from the Mikoyan MiG-35 , the Saab Gripen , the Lockheed Martin F-16 , the Boeing F-18E / F , and the Dassault Rafale . Pakistan has also ordered MRTT capability built on an A310, although the aircraft is no longer in production. Data from Airforce-Technology.com Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide 5th ed. General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Aerial refuelling Too Many Requests If you report this error to
2112-586: The French Air Force's two C-130J and two KC-130J Aircraft (delivery planned 2018–2019). In April 2020, the German government announced its intention to gain approval for the purchase of 30 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, 15 EA-18G Growlers, and 55 Eurofighter Typhoons as replacements for the Tornado fleet. However, as of the same month such approval was unlikely to occur before 2022. The Super Hornet
2176-647: The German Air Force combat units, which during operations would either be commanded by a NATO command or the Joint Operations Command of the Bundeswehr . The Air Force command directly controls three higher commands. The creation of the Air Force Command was part of a reorganization of the Bundeswehr as a whole, announced by Thomas de Maizière in 2011, which also involved the Air Force shrinking to 23,000 soldiers and thus undergoing major restructuring at all levels. In addition to
2240-409: The German Air Force is Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz . As of 2015, the German Air Force uses eleven air bases, two of which host no flying units. Furthermore, the Air Force has a presence at three civil airports. In 2012, the German Air Force had an authorized strength of 28,475 active airmen and 4,914 reservists. After World War II , German aviation was severely curtailed, and military aviation
2304-716: The German Defence Minister Kai-Uwe von Hassel relieved the Chief Inspector of the Air Force Generalleutnant Werner Panitzki , and transferred Colonel Erich Hartmann , commanding officer of the 71st Fighter Squadron, as both had publicly criticized the acquisition of the Starfighter as a "purely political decision". On 2 September 1966, Johannes Steinhoff , with Günther Rall as deputy, became
2368-603: The German Luftwaffe took place on 4 February 2009 ; 15 years ago ( 2009-02-04 ) , when three German Eurofighter Typhoons of Jagdgeschwader 73 Steinhoff (30+23, 30+25, and 30+38), led by Colonel Andreas Schick, were refuelled en-route by an A310 MRTT tanker aircraft during their deployment from Laage Airbase ( German : Flughafen Rostock-Laage ), Rostock , Germany, to Yelahanka Air Force Station , near Bangalore , India. Despite not yet receiving final approval of in-flight refuelling operations by
2432-595: The German authorities, this air-to-air refuelling mission was sanctioned as part of the A310 MRTTs 'operational testing phase' for in-flight refuelling, and consisted of a flight route of nearly 8,200 kilometres (4,400 nautical miles), including a stopover at the Al Dahfra airbase ( Arabic : قاعدة الظفرة الجوية ) in the United Arab Emirates . The objective of the deployment to India was to demonstrate
2496-721: The US Seventeenth Air Force in handling, arming, and delivering nuclear weapons. At first, the F-104 Starfighter was intended to be used solely as a nuclear delivery platform, armed with nuclear air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, as well as nuclear bombs. The Tornado was the second air force plane fielded that was capable of delivering nuclear ammunition, although it was limited to delivering B61 nuclear bombs . From 1965 through 1970, Missile Wings 1 and 2 fielded 16 Pershing 1 missile systems with nuclear warheads under U.S. Army custody. In 1970,
2560-979: The US-made Republic F-84 Thunderstreak . At first, the Luftwaffe was divided into two operational commands, one in Northern Germany, aligned with the British-led Second Allied Tactical Air Force , and the other in Southern Germany, aligned with the American-led Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force . In 1957, the Luftwaffe took command of the Army Air Defence Troops located in Rendsburg and began
2624-429: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 211977415 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:47:16 GMT German Air Force The German Air Force ( German : Luftwaffe , lit. 'air weapon' or 'air arm', German pronunciation: [ˈlʊftvafə] )
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2688-476: The acquisition of four by the Royal Netherlands Air Force . Future plans are the replacement of the aging Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion , which was acquired in the 1970s, by Boeing CH-47 Chinook or Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion . A bid for a heavy transport helicopter program or STH ( Schwerer Transporthubschrauber ) was initiated in 2018. However, the award was suspended in 2020 due to the high price tag on both helicopters. The Luftwaffe participated in
2752-483: The aging Panavia Tornados - the Eurofighter Typhoon , F-15 Advanced Eagle , F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-35 Lightning . In January 2019, it was announced that the F-35 Lightning had been dropped from the shortlist, with the Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet under consideration. The German Air Force will acquire three C-130J Super Hercules Transport and three KC-130J Tanker Aircraft (delivery planned 2020–2021), which will be jointly operated with
2816-460: The air force's largest peacetime deployment. From June 12 to June 23, 2023, the German Air Force hosted Air Defender 23 , the largest exercise of NATO air forces since its creation with 25 nations and up to 10,000 troops participating. The current commander of the German Air Force is Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz. The Inspector of the Air Force ( Inspekteur der Luftwaffe ) is the commander of Air Force Command ( Kommando Luftwaffe ),
2880-652: The civilian Airbus A310-300C wide-bodied passenger jet airliner . The Airbus A310 MRTT Multi-Role Tanker Transport is a military derivative of the Airbus A310-300C twin-jet wide-bodied jet airliner . The A310 MRTT was primarily designed for military use as a multi-role air-to-air refuelling tanker, cargo transport, passenger transport, and aeromedical evacuation (MedEvac) aircraft. The aircraft are designed , engineered , manufactured , and modified by Airbus Industrie and EADS subsidiary Airbus Military SAS , along with their subcontractors, which included Airbus Deutschland and Lufthansa Technik . The conversion from
2944-430: The deaths of 116 pilots. The disastrous service record of the Starfighter led to the Starfighter crisis in 1966 as a reaction to 27 Starfighter crashes with 17 casualties in 1965 alone. The West German public referred to the Starfighter as the Witwenmacher (widow-maker), fliegender Sarg (flying coffin), Fallfighter (falling fighter) and Erdnagel ( tent peg , literally "ground nail"). On 25 August 1966,
3008-663: The expansion of its own air defense missile capabilities. The first squadron to be declared operational was the Air Transport Wing 61 at Erding Air Base , followed by the 31st Fighter-Bomber Squadron at Büchel Air Base . In 1958, the Luftwaffe received its first conscripts. In 1959, the Luftwaffe declared the 11th Missile Group in Kaufbeuren armed with MGM-1 Matador surface-to-surface tactical nuclear cruise missiles operational. The same year Fighter Wing 71 ( Jagdgeschwader 71 ) equipped with Canadair CL-13 fighters became operational at Ahlhorner Heide Air Base. All aircraft sported—and continue to sport—the Iron Cross on
3072-457: The first Soviet Bloc aircraft to be declared operational within NATO. With the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon imminent, the decision was taken to withdraw the MiG-29. All German MiG-29s, save one, were sold to Poland for the symbolic price of €1 apiece. On 9 August 2004, the last MiG-29s landed in Poland where they continue to serve in the 41st Tactical Squadron of the Polish Air Force . The Luftwaffe experienced combat action for
3136-409: The first time since World War II during September 1995 in the course of Operation Deliberate Force , when six IDS Tornado fighter-bombers , equipped with forward looking infrared devices, and escorted by eight ECR Tornados, supported NATO's artillery missions on positions of the Bosnian Serbs around Sarajevo , Bosnia & Herzegovina . In March 1999, the Luftwaffe became involved in
3200-415: The fuselage, harking back to the pre-March 1918 days of World War I , while the national flag of West Germany is displayed on the tail . In 1963, the Luftwaffe saw its first major reorganization. The two operational Air Force Group Commands – Command North and Command South were both split into two mixed Air Force divisions containing flying and air defense units and one Support division. Additionally,
3264-542: The higher command authorities, the three air divisions, the Air Force Training Command, and Air Force Weapon Systems Command were disbanded. The three surface-to-air missile units will merge into a single wing in Husum in Northern Germany. The wing fields 14 MIM-104 Patriot and 4 MANTIS systems. The three air transport wings will be merged into a single wing based at Wunstorf Air Base , which will field 40 A400M Atlas transport planes. The Luftwaffe will field three Multirole Eurofighter Wings, each with two squadrons for
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#17327800358433328-609: The initial order. Germany intends to also order 15 Eurofighter Typhoon electronic warfare aircraft in place of Growlers . In April 2022, as a continuation of the STH program, Germany has chosen the CH-47F Chinook to replace its aging fleet of Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion . According to Reuters report, Germany will purchase 60 CH-47Fs with a contract worth around € 5 billion ( US$ 5.40 billion). In August 2022, Germany sent six Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, three Airbus A330 MRTT tankers and four Airbus A400M Atlas transports to take part in Exercise Pitch Black in Australia, in
3392-467: The last remaining German C-160 Transalls were disbanded, with the A400M and C-130J serving as the German tactical transport aircraft in the future. In March 2022, German Minister of Defence Christine Lambrecht announced that Germany intends to buy 35 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter jets instead of Super Hornets to replace the Tornado, the only aircraft Germany possess capable of carrying US nuclear weapons . Another ten may be added to
3456-429: The new Chief Inspector of the Air Force. Steinhoff and his deputy Günther Rall noted that the non-German F-104s proved much safer. The Americans blamed the high loss rate of the Luftwaffe F-104s on the extremely low-level and aggressive flying of German pilots rather than any faults in the aircraft. Steinhoff and Rall went to America to learn to fly the Starfighter under Lockheed instruction and noted some specifics in
3520-435: The number of Tornado fighter-bombers down to just 85. In the past, the Bundesmarine 's naval air wing ( Marineflieger ) received 112 Tornado IDS planes. However, in late 2004, the last unit of Bundesmarine Tornados was disbanded. The entire maritime combat role was assigned to the Luftwaffe , one unit of which has had its Tornado fighters equipped to carry Kormoran II missiles and American HARM missiles. As of 2014,
3584-426: The old and the new Luftwaffe . This is in line with the policy of the Bundeswehr on the whole, which does not consider itself a successor of the Wehrmacht and does not follow the traditions of any other previous German military organization. The first volunteers of the Luftwaffe arrived at the Nörvenich Air Base in January 1956. In the same year, the Luftwaffe was given with its first aircraft,
3648-432: The system was upgraded to Pershing 1a with 72 missiles. Although not directly affected by the 1988 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty , the Luftwaffe unilaterally removed the Pershing 1a missiles from its inventory in 1991, and the missiles were destroyed. At the end of the Cold War, more than 100,000 soldiers served in the Luftwaffe . The United States still lends nuclear weapons for hypothetical use by
3712-431: The training (a lack of mountain and foggy-weather training), combined with handling capabilities (rapidly initiated, high G turns) of the aircraft that could cause accidents. Steinhoff and Rall, therefore, changed the training regimen for the F-104 pilots, and the accident rates fell to those comparable or better than other air forces. They also brought about the high level of training and professionalism seen today throughout
3776-402: The world. One of their primary duties was to serve as aggressor pilots, training other pilots in dissimilar combat tactics . The United States sent a group of fighter pilots to Germany during the Red October exercise to practise tactics against the aircraft they were most likely to meet in real combat. The MiG-29s of JG 73 were fully integrated into the Luftwaffe 's air defence structure and
3840-400: Was completely forbidden after the Allied Control Commission disbanded the Nazi-era Luftwaffe in August 1946. This changed in 1955 when West Germany joined NATO , as the Western Allies believed that Germany was needed to counter the increasing military threat posed by the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies. Therefore, on 9 January 1956, a new German Air Force called Luftwaffe
3904-425: Was founded as a branch of the new Bundeswehr . Many well-known fighter pilots of the Wehrmacht ' s Luftwaffe joined the new post-war air force and underwent refresher training in the US before returning to West Germany to upgrade on the latest U.S.-supplied hardware. These included Erich Hartmann , Gerhard Barkhorn , Günther Rall and Johannes Steinhoff . Steinhoff became commander-in-chief of
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#17327800358433968-490: Was selected due to its compatibility with nuclear weapons and availability of an electronic attack version. As of March 2022, the Super Hornet has not been certified for the B61 Mod 12 nuclear bombs , but Dan Gillian, head of Boeing's Super Hornet program, previously stated that "We certainly think that we, working with the U.S. government, can meet the German requirements there on the [German's] timeline." In December 2021, Air Transport Wing 63 in Hohn Air Base and with it,
4032-585: Was supplied by Flight Refuelling Ltd (FRL) of England, and uses the Mk32B pods under each wing on pylons, close to the wingtips . Two receiver aircraft can be refuelled simultaneously, and is capable of delivering 15,000 litres (3,300 imperial gallons; 4,000 US gallons) per minute. The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) was the first customer for the MRTT, converting four of their seven existing A310 MRTs, with deliveries starting in October 2004. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) converted two of their five existing A310 MRTs to MRTT configuration, which are known as
4096-402: Was the Fighter Wing 3 " Vladimir Komarov " ( Jagdfliegergeschwader 3 " Vladimir Komarov " ) in Preschen Air Base. The Fighter Wing 3 flew brand new MiG-29 fighters. On 1 June 1993, the wing was renamed Fighter Wing 73 ( Jagdgeschwader 73 ) and on 1 October 1994 completed its move to its new home at Laage Air Base . The pilots of JG 73 were some of the most experienced MiG-29 pilots in
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