The German Air Force is taking part in the multinational Arctic Challenge 2021 exercise with a total of ten Eurofighters and around 200 soldiers.
The hosts are NATO ally Norway and partner nations Sweden and Finland. Under the leadership of Tactical Air Wing 31 “Boelcke” as the lead unit, the men and women of the Air Force are training air operations in an international network with a total of twelve allied nations. Certification for the NATO Response Force (NRF) is particularly important here. In addition, the Electronic Warfare Center is sending around 20 soldiers to Sweden to simulate enemy air defence with their SA-8 and SA-6 weapon systems. “Arctic Challenge is a very important exercise for us, as it lays an essential foundation for the national certification of our flying unit for the NATO Response Force,” explains contingent commander Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Ullmann-Märkl. A NATO-certified “checker” will be present for this purpose. He will check whether the air force meets the requirements for planning, conducting and following up on COMAOs. COMAO stands for Composite Air Operations. These are air warfare operations with a large number of different aircraft – especially multinational compositions.
