{"id":55021,"date":"2021-01-11T09:18:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T09:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/01\/11\/german-air-force-chief-the-service-is-undergoing-upgrades-to-meet-future-challenges\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:04:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:04:03","slug":"german-air-force-chief-the-service-is-undergoing-upgrades-to-meet-future-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/outlook\/2021\/01\/11\/german-air-force-chief-the-service-is-undergoing-upgrades-to-meet-future-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"German Air Force chief: The service is undergoing upgrades to meet future challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The German commitment to NATO is a fundamental pillar of our national stability and peace, and the Luftwaffe is at the heart of our national engagement within the alliance. The challenge for NATO is not only in the reorientation toward a common defense against a peer competitor, but also to respond proportionally to adversaries testing our security across multiple domains every day. The access to – and use of air and space – are of the upmost national and alliance importance; and therefore, they must be protected from misuse by state, industrial and individual hostile actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The multinational air power exercise Air Defender 2023 is one of the Luftwaffe\u2019s key events. I am proud to say that the impetus for this exercise came from the Luftwaffe, and it was very well received by the U.S. Air Force, by NATO\u2019s Allied Air Command, by the Pentagon and by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. The Luftwaffe will engage with the maximum participation for Air Defense 2023 by integrating existing exercises and offering German air bases as a way to deliver supporting functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In line with the German Federal Republic\u2019s security assessment, the Luftwaffe has also been assigned to demonstrate deterrence capability by projecting presence over great distances. The initial deployment of fighter and tanker aircraft to Australia will begin in 2022. This significant deployment cannot be underestimated: It is not just about the Luftwaffe deploying aircraft. It is about deploying and projecting air power over thousands of miles away from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The future of the Luftwaffe\u2019s fighter aircraft will be seen through the lens of the Defence Ministry\u2019s proposed replacement of the aging Tornado fighter-bombers with the U.S. F\/A-18F Super Hornet for air-to-ground missions, and the EA-18G Growler for jamming purposes. This electronic warfare aircraft will bring a unique capability to NATO in Europe and would become a key element in the Luftwaffe\u2019s approach in addressing current and future challenges in the electromagnetic spectrum. The multi-role Eurofighter will be upgraded to the new Tranche 4 level, and in conjunction with the F\/A-18F and EA-18G, it would strengthen and carry the German fighter wings into the future operating environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\t