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German Air Force - Luftwaffe
The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) has faced dramatic changes in structure and
strategic concepts as a result of the diminished threat in Central Europe
and shrinking budgetary resources for modernized weapons systems. Prior
to the demise of the Warsaw Pact, the German air force had as its primary mission
the air defense of Central Europe in conjunction with other NATO air forces.
This included reconnaissance to forestall surprise attack, interdiction
of enemy ground and air forces, prevention of enemy aircraft from reaching German
strategic targets, protection of friendly forces against air attack, and
close battlefield support for NATO ground troops.
The new security environment
in Europe has brought a change in tasks for the Luftwaffe. With the absorption
of the former East Germany, the national airspace that had to be patrolled
increased substantially. With a major confrontation in Central Europe
now only a slight possibility, the Luftwaffe has had to adjust its missions
to take account of the possibility of involvement in conflict beyond the
borders of Europe and in unstable regions within Europe.
As of early 1995, the Luftwaffe had a personnel strength of 83,000, including
25,000 conscripts. The
principal combat units were eight squadrons of fighter-ground attack
aircraft, equipped with Tornado fighter-ground attack aircraft. There
were seven fighter squadrons, six with F-4Fs and one with MiG-29s. Developed
as a joint effort by Britain, Italy, and West Germany, the Tornado is
a high-speed, low-altitude, all-weather attack aircraft. The McDonnell
Douglas F-4F Phantom, introduced in the United States in the 1960s, is
still regarded as an outstanding fighter and attack aircraft of exceptional
versatility. However, it is scheduled to be replaced by a new combat aircraft
in the late 1990s, the European Fighter Aircraft (EFA).
Ground-based air defense consisted of six groups, each with six squadrons,
equipped with Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers; six groups,
each with six squadrons, equipped with Hawk launchers; and fourteen squadrons
equipped with Roland launchers for point defense. The German air defense
units covering Central Europe and the Baltic approaches were fully operational,
subject to control by NATO's integrated air-defense system even during
peacetime.
By 1998 two squadrons of Tornado fighter-bombers are scheduled to be
transferred from the navy to the air force, along with 800 naval personnel,
as part of the plan to transform the naval air base at Jagel on the Baltic
Sea into a Luftwaffe base. Of all the equipment taken over from the East
German air force, only one squadron of MiG-29 fighter aircraft was absorbed
by the Luftwaffe.
The ranking uniformed member of the Luftwaffe is the air force chief
of staff, with headquarters in Cologne. Also at Cologne is the Combat
Command, subdivided into the Southern Tactical Command and Northern Tactical
Command. The Southern Tactical Command is collocated with NATO Combined
Air Operations Center at Messstellen in the southwestern corner of Germany;
the Northern Tactical Command is at Kalkar near the Dutch border. The
Transport Command at Münster also comes under the Combat Command, as does
the Communications and Electronic Command. The German Air Force Office in Cologne
is responsible for personnel, training, communications, and armaments.
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