On Monday and Tuesday the events for the training event called MAGDAYs were planned and coordinated and on Wednesday and Thursday fighter and support aircraft from Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as Partner Switzerland executed aerial combat training and air-to-air refuelling drills in training areas over the North Sea off the Netherlands and Denmark as well as over Northern Germany.
Excellent example of multinationalism at work allowing the Luftwaffe to operate “shoulder to shoulder” with European Allies and Partners
German Eurofighter and Tornado fighter aircraft were joined by Swiss Air Force F-18 jets flying in from Meiringen, Switzerland, Dutch F-16 fighters from Leeuwarden and the United States F-16s from Spangdahlem and Royal Air Force Typhoons from Coningsby. To allow significant “play time"
for the fighters four air-to-air refuellers were employed enabling realistic interoperability and integration training of multinational air forces. German A310 and A400M as well as Royal Air Force A330 Voyager and United States Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft refuelled fighter jets in established refuelling zones.
The German Air Force is the framework nation for the Multinational Air Group or MAG concept and conducts several MAGDAYs a year. The cooperation with Partner nation Switzerland is just one aspect of the German endeavour; during earlier MAGDAYs this February and four times last year training was conducted with other Allies. The goal is to build up an initial operational capability by 2023 and to reach full operational capability in 2026. .
According to Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, the Chief of the German Air Force, MAGDAYs are an excellent example of multinationalism at work allowing the Luftwaffe to operate “shoulder to shoulder” with European Allies and Partners in preparation of combined missions.