Germany will host six US fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters for familiarisation and exercise Air Defender 2023

The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) will get a closer look at the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets in the summer of 2023. Head of service Ingo Gerhartz has travelled to the US to strengthen cooperation with the Air National Guard.

Here's What We Know

A major NATO exercise in Europe, called Air Defender 2023, will take place in mid-summer. The 10-day event will involve 220 NATO aircraft, including around 60 German and 100 US aircraft. For the US Air National Guard, it will be the largest transatlantic movement of armed forces. In addition to the F-35, the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, A10 Thunderbolt II and KC-46 Pegasus will arrive in Europe.

The US will send six fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters to Germany, which will be based at Spangdahlem airbase for the duration of the exercise. This will allow German pilots and specialists to have a closer lock at the aircraft before Germany gets its own fighters.

Modernising the German air force has been a priority for Ingo Gerharz, who became head of the Luftwaffe in 2018. As a pilot, he flew the F-4, MiG-29, Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon. During the conflict in Afghanistan in particular, he flew more than 50 combat sorties on the Tornado.

The US F-35 Lightning II fighters will be the replacement for the Tornado. Late last year, Germany announced it would buy 35 fifth-generation aircraft for €8.3 billion ($8.85 billion). Although €10bn ($10.66bn) had been floated a few weeks earlier. Germany plans to begin operating the F-35 in 2027, with German pilots going to the US for training a year before.

Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine