25 countries, 10 thousand personnel, 250 aircraft - the largest NATO air exercise ever takes off
Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic
Author: by Major Zuzana Sekaninová, editorial staff (ob)
16.6.2023
State-of-the-art air assets, various types of air operations, but, above all, cooperation of twenty five NATO nations' armed forces. That is what the multinational ten-day exercise Air Defender 2023 will deliver, as it is designed to demonstrate NATO's solidarity and is unparalleled in its history. The Czech Armed Forces will not be missing out - all units of the Czech Air Force are joining.
Scheduled until June 23rd, the exercise scenario builds on a situation following the activation of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. "NATO air power under German command will practise common crisis response predominantly in the German airspace," says Czech Air Force Commander Major General Petr Čepelka. The manoeuvres will take place over parts of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and apart from NATO nations, the exercise includes the participation of Japan and Sweden.
Air personnel will exercise Composite Air Operations (COMAO) with involvement of a multitude of various aircraft types, but out-and-back missions in the Baltic States and Romania will be drilled as well. Moreover, Air Defender 2023 conjoins other NATO exercises with different scenarios.
"We seek to demonstrate the speed and readiness of NATO air power and display its capabilities. Cooperation of so many NATO armed forces enhances our interoperability and the ability to deter potential aggressors," says Commander of the German Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz.
Of the 250 various aircraft, one hundred is assigned by the United States Air National Guard. According to LTG Gerhartz, the participation of the United States testifies to the strong cohesion and solidarity across NATO.
Cream of the crop
The German airspace will host the newest NATO aircraft: from F-35, F-16, F/A-18 to Eurofighter Typhoons and JAS-39 Gripens. Those will be complemented by special purpose aircraft such as the KC-135 tanker, the Airborne Warning and Control System, C-17 Globemaster airlifters and other transport planes.
Major General Čepelka underlined that the involvement of the state-of-the art equipment is an important aspect of the training of Czech air service personnel: "In multinational exercises like these, our pilots harness first-hand experience of what the world has to offer," MG Čepelka underscores.
Training in Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic
Most of the missions will be performed over Germany, but some are also scheduled in the Netherlands and in the Czech Republic. Fighter pilots from the 21st Tactical Air Force Base in Čáslav with four JAS-39 Gripen fighters will verify advanced air operations capabilities.
"The fighter pilots are going to take part in the certification of multinational command and composite air operations (COMAO) and will join dogfighting training with F-15s, F-16s and Eurofighters. Pilots of L-159 ALCA aircraft will hone their skills in cooperating with an unmanned aerial vehicle in the home territory," specified the exercise director for the Czech Republic, Colonel Michal Kudyn.
From the 22nd Helicopter Air Force Base, exercise Air Defender 2023 will see the participation of six Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) from the 225th Combat Support Squadron and three members of the Integration Section of the 22nd Wing. The JTACs are going to hone training with the MQ-9 Reaper and perform surveillance and high value target strike missions. The 24th Transport Air Force Base assigns Mi-171Sh rotary wing aircraft in support of aeromobile operations and W3A Sokol for airlift of servicemembers.
As part of the exercise Tobruq Shield concurrently taking place in the Czech Republic, the 25th Air Defence Missile Regiment will also practise cooperation with the MQ-9 drone, which is temporarily stationed in Čáslav AFB. The 26th Command, Control and Surveillance Regiment is going to perform day/night surveillance and coordination in the Czech airspace.
Besides service members from individual airbases, the Czech Air Force Command also assigns personnel into the Joint Air Force Component (JFAC), which, if activated, would provide tactical control in case of deployment in a NATO operation and would report to the Joint Force Command (JFC).
"Our service members have trained to serve at such level of command for several years and comprise a broad spectrum of capabilities and various specialties. It is a huge experience for all of us," says Major Pavel Samek, who is currently responsible for the Czech ground based air defence in the exercise.
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