Air Defender: Why increased aircraft noice is inevitable

Joint air operations over Germany, the Czech Republic, the Baltic States, Poland and Romania: In June, the international air defense exercise Air Defender 23 will take place with allied NATO partners in European airspace. More than 200 aircraft will take part. This will result in increased aircraft noise in parts of Germany.

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Many of the 24 participating nations will station their aircraft at German air bases during Air Defender 23. In particular, the sites at Wunstorf near Hanover and Jagel near Schleswig will be pivotal points during the exercise in June. Around these air force sites, there will be more noise than usual, especially during the takeoff and landing phases of the aircraft.

Why so many aircraft?

Air Defender 23 will be the largest deployment exercise and air operations exercise to date for NATO allies. Allied forces will train together for international defense in a real-world training environment. There is a difference between playing - metaphorically - on a small soccer field and a real soccer field. The train-as-you-fight principle means that exercises must be as real as possible in order to be optimally prepared for an emergency.

The training and education of the armed forces, the maintenance of the equipment and technology and the cooperation between the soldiers of the different nations are to be consolidated and improved by Air Defender. Because Air Defender is such a large scale exercise, there will necessarily be increased air traffic and therefore increased aircraft noise in June.

The German Air Force intends to minimize exposure to aircraft noise, for example, by using airspace corridors over sparsely populated areas. Exercise areas will also be spread out over a wide area and staggered in time to rule out selective exposure.

Aircraft noise cannot be prevented entirely. Exercises such as Air Defender 23 are an important part of military training and a prerequisite for the German Air Force and its allies to be able to fulfill their mission in national and alliance defense.

Point of contact

If you have any questions about aircraft noise or military flight operations, you can contact the Citizens' Service Center of the German Armed Forces Aviation Office.