Intensive air force exercises over Rostock: What you should know!

Intensive air force exercises over Rostock: What you should know!

In the coming weeks, the airspace over northern and eastern Germany will be used more intensively again, and there are special reasons for this. From October 27th to November 14th, the final training phase of a weapons instructor training course lasting several months with the Air Force will take place at the air base in Laage (Rostock district). The “Baltic Hunter” exercise focuses on complex military scenarios such as air strikes, air defense and even electronic warfare. Increased flight volumes and noise emissions are to be expected, not only for residents in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, but also in northern Brandenburg. It is particularly worth mentioning that the exercises will also take place in the supersonic range, which could increase the noise level even further, as NDR reports.

Almost all of the Air Force’s flying weapon systems are involved in “Baltic Hunter”. According to [Ostseewelle](https://www.ostseewelle.de/nachrichten/nachrichtentickermv/Luft Waffen%C3%BCbung-Baltic-Hunter-%C2%ABnicht-immer-rosig%C2%BB-id988220.html), Eurofighters, Tornados and F-35 fighter jets were already in use between October 16 and 26, 2023. The goal of these exercises is to train defense and attack strategies in varied and insightful scenarios involving air and ground threats. Nine missions lasting several hours were carried out during this period, involving up to 45 aircraft and up to 80 men on the ground.

Complex challenges and high commitment

What makes it particularly exciting is the combination of air and ground-based defense. The high presence of ground-based air defense systems posed a real challenge for the pilots. These exercises were not conducted just for their own sake; many mistakes were deliberately provoked in order to learn from them. The military intelligence service and the Sanitz (Patriot) anti-aircraft missile group were also part of these exercises. It is known that some missions were not won by NATO units, which underlines the seriousness and training intention.

The Air Force has made significant investments in new technology in recent months. The F-35, the world's most modern fighter aircraft, is being procured for NATO's nuclear deterrence concept. Plans are also underway to replace the aging Tornados with 35 new machines, which will be purchased for 8.3 billion euros. These new models will be used in a series of exercises such as “Air Defender 23”, which took place in June 2023 and which the Bundeswehr presented, among other things, with 64 aircraft, as [Merkur](https://www.merkur.de/politik/air-defender-23-nato-militaer-uebung-luftstreitkraefte- Flugzeuge-bilder-fotozeile-zr-92323683.html) shows.

Questions from the population

Citizens are invited to direct their questions about military flight operations to the Air Force. There are information available on the free number 0800 – 8620730 who can help. Residents are advised to prepare for the increased noise. Both soldiers give their all to prepare for the challenges of these demanding training phases, and this is urgently needed in order to be well prepared in an emergency.

This shows once again how important the provision and use of air forces are in a changing security policy environment. The Bundeswehr's preparations for future challenges require a good hand and a clear view of the complex situations that could arise.