(The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) will have a closer examination of the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets during the summer of 2023. The Head of service, Ingo Gerhartz, has traveled to the United States to enhance collaboration with the Air National Guard.
This is what we know: A significant NATO exercise in Europe, named Air Defender 2023, is scheduled to occur in mid-summer. The event, spanning 10 days, will involve 220 NATO aircraft, including approximately 60 German and 100 American aircraft. For the US Air National Guard, it will mark the largest deployment of armed forces across the Atlantic. Alongside the F-35, the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, A10 Thunderbolt II, and KC-46 Pegasus will arrive in Europe.
The United States will dispatch six fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters to Germany, where they will be stationed at Spangdahlem airbase for the duration of the exercise. This arrangement will allow German pilots and specialists to closely observe the aircraft before Germany acquires its own fighters.
Modernizing the German air force has been a priority for Ingo Gerhartz, who assumed leadership of the Luftwaffe in 2018. As a pilot, he operated the F-4, MiG-29, Tornado, and Eurofighter Typhoon. Particularly during the conflict in Afghanistan, he participated in over 50 combat sorties aboard the Tornado.
The US F-35 Lightning II fighters will replace the Tornado. Germany announced last year that it would purchase 35 fifth-generation aircraft for €8.3 billion ($8.85 billion). However, a few weeks prior, €10 billion ($10.66 billion) had been mentioned. Germany intends to commence F-35 operations in 2027, with German pilots undergoing training in the United States one year earlier.)