June 12, 2023 - June 23, 2023 - Germany is set to host NATO’s largest-ever air force wargames in the alliance’s history, designed to prove how fast it can respond to potential Russian aggression against one of its members.
The Air Defender exercise will last ten days and involve up to 10,000 troops and 250 aircraft from 23 Nato member states. Sweden, which has applied to join the Western military alliance, will also participate, along with Japan.
The operation will be conducted from several hubs across Germany, placing the country on center stage as it strives to take a more prominent role in European security. It will feature aircraft, including F-35, Eurofighter, Tornado, and Gripen jets, Reaper drones, helicopters, cargo aircraft, and tankers.
Large blocks of airspace will be closed to civil aircraft during the exercise. Each will be closed or heavily restricted for civilian traffic for several hours daily. The exercise comes while Europe’s skies have been busier than ever since 2019, before the Covid pandemic.
