German Air Force trains precision bombing in Alaska

DPA
·1 min read
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A Panavia 200 (PA-200) Tornado multi-purpose combat aircraft flies over the air base Fassberg on "Spotter Day". Christophe Gateau/dpa
A Panavia 200 (PA-200) Tornado multi-purpose combat aircraft flies over the air base Fassberg on "Spotter Day". Christophe Gateau/dpa

German Air Force Tornado crews have begun the hot phase of the multinational exercise "Pacific Skies 24" over North America.

Fighter jets dropped practice bombs from extremely low altitudes, the air force announced on Saturday on the WhatsApp channel set up for the manoeuvre.

The aircraft descend to up to 30 metres in order to approach undetected and only ascend for the attack itself. The soldiers practised the attack with GBU-54 laser-guided precision bombs.

For the large-scale Pacific Skies 24 training complex, the German Air Force is deploying aircraft far beyond Europe. Over 30 fighter jets, helicopters, transport and tanker aircraft are expected to take part in a total of five individual exercises by mid-August: Arctic Defender in Alaska, Nippon Skies in Japan, Pitch Black in Australia, Tarang Shakti Phase 1 in India and RIMPAC in Hawaii.

The German Air Force has dubbed it the "largest and most challenging deployment to date."

In Alaska, air warfare operations are being trained to NATO standards. The French and Spanish air forces and the host country, the United States, are also involved in the series of exercises.