German Luftwaffe and Israeli Air Force in air exercises
During the period 17 to 27 August 2020, Israel Air Force F-16C/D Barak fighters participated in exercises Blue Wings and MAGDAYs 2020 in Germany. The German Luftwaffe and the Israeli Air Force had earlier trained together in 2019 at Ovda AFB in Israel in exercise BlueFlag, and in August 2020, the Luftwaffe hosted the MAGDAY (Multinational Air Group Days) exercises. Chief of the Luftwaffe, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz had invited the Israeli Air Force to take part in this exercise. In preparation for this joint exercise, the Israelis flew to Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 31 ‘Boelcke’ a week before MAGDAY to plan necessary tactics, train technicians and standardise various procedures for this event. These two exercises were the first on German soil between the Air Forces of Israel and Germany, a historical event. Blue Wings 2020 First of the two weeks bilateral exercise Blue Wings 2020, was a follow on to the earlier exercise Blue Flag which had taken place in Israel during 2019. Six F-16C/D Barak fighters, two Boeing 707 Re’em tankers and two Gulfstream G-550 Nachshon-Eitam Germany. The Luftwaffe flew its EF2000 Eurofighters during the exercise from Tactical Air Squadron 31 ‘Boelcke’ (TLG- 31). Over the two weeks, aircrew practiced numerous aerial scenarios alongside the German NATO aircraft as part of the MAG (Multinational Air Group) exercise.
The air exercises included air-to-air combat, ground attack, countering surfaceto- air missile threats and other combat scenarios in hostile environment. There was opportunity to tactically fly and under variety of threats using advanced technology, using NATO’s and Israeli doctrines. Blue Wings 2020 began with Israeli and German aircraft first carrying out a commemoration fly-by over former concentration camp at Dachau and then Fürstenfeldbruck air base near Munich. On 18 August 2020, a Memory for the Future the flight past led by an Israel Gulfstream G550 and F-16s alongside two German Eurofighters. The flyby over Dachau concentration camp was to remember the Holocaust victims while that above Fürstenfeldbruck was in memory of the 11 Israeli Olympians who were murdered in a terrorist attack in 1972. After the flyby, an official memorial ceremony was held at the Dachau concentration camp. The ceremony was attended by the German Federal Minister of Defence Annegret Kramp Karrenbauer, the Israeli Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff, Commanders of both the Air Forces and other dignitaries.
MAGDAYs
During the second week, the actual MAGDAYs exercise was held with German, Israeli and Hungarian participants. The Hungarians brought 4 Saab Gripens and 30 staff members and were located with the Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 Immelmann’ at Jagel airbase in Schleswig-Holstein. The German Air Force organises MAGDAY exercises several times every year and as part of this year’s exercise, two Boeing 707 tankers of the Israeli Air Force supported their F-16s. The German Eurofighters were refueled by German A310 and A400M tankers.
Lieutenant-General Ingo Gerhartz Commander of the German Luftwaffe welcomed the Israelis and stated “On behalf of the German Air Force, it is an honour for me to welcome the Israeli Air Force entering German airspace for the first time in history. My Israeli friends led by General Amikam Norkin is now flying side by side as our Blue Wings.” Responding, Major General Amikam Norkin said, “Well my friend, I am proud to lead our first deployment to Germany. It is a testimony to our strong ties and mutual commitments. Thank you very much. I salute you and your Air Force.”
Text and photos: Joris van Boven and Alex van Noije