At a joint press conference at Hinterstoisser Air Base today on the eve of the “Airpower 2024” the Air Chiefs from Austria, Germany and Switzerland emphasized their close collaboration and expressed their desire for further cooperation.
Before “Airpower 2024” kicks off tomorrow, Air Chief Major General Gerfried Promberger gave an overview of the new Airpower 2024 at a press conference today. the program planned for the air show. He also mentioned a few figures to underline the size of the event: according to Promberger, more than 200 aircraft from over 20 nations will be on display, around 850 spotters are accredited and more than 300 media representatives are attending. Preparations were essentially completed on Wednesday. “Everything is going according to plan, we are looking forward to the program and to showing what we need today.” Promberger referred to the numerous exhibits at the accompanying industrial and business exhibition, particularly in the field of ground-based air defence, and then emphasized that “Airpower” is also a good opportunity for international exchange.
https://youtu.be/bDibpb40shU Dazu findet parallel zur „Airpower” bis inklusive Samstag auf Einladung von Promberger ein Air Chief-Treffen mit Vertretern aus mehr als zehn europäischen Staaten und der USA statt.
Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, Inspector of the German Air Force, the Swiss Air Chief Divisionär Peter Merz and Brigadier General Tomasz Jatczak, representing the Polish Air Chief, therefore also joined Promberger on the podium. Like Promberger, they emphasized the strong cooperation between the four countries. Gerhartz: “The motto of ‘Airpower’ is ‘Flying, Freedom, Enthusiasm’. The motto, slightly modified by me, is ‘Flying for freedom’ and is more relevant than ever. The war in Europe makes it all the more important to show here at this airshow that our systems are ready for action.”
Gerhartz continues: “Our cooperation with Austria, Switzerland and Poland goes far beyond ‘Airpower’ and could not be closer or stronger.” There are currently areas of cooperation in the training sector, for example, but also in the field of ground-based air defense. “In Austria, for example, we use the mountainous terrain for training helicopter pilots. There is also a joint effort by all countries to counter current threats. We can also see this in the participation of other partners, such as Switzerland and Austria, in the European Sky Shield Initiative (-> Austria has joined the Sky Shield Initiative),” Gerhartz continues.
Swiss Air Chief Peter Merz and Polish Brigadier General Tomasz Jatczak also spoke about the war in Ukraine and the resulting changes to the security situation in Europe. Merz: “We are all affected by the war – whether neutral or not. Accordingly, we must continue to intensify our cooperation. The Swiss Air Force is consistently focusing on strengthening its defense capabilities. As a result, we will be transforming our processes and structures over the next few years. The introduction of new systems such as the F-35A (-> Switzerland signs purchase of 36 Lockheed F-35A), Patriot and the ADS15 reconnaissance drone system will enable us to build up new capabilities. We also want to intensify our already existing and highly valued military cooperation with our partner nations. The Swiss Air Force is preparing to defend itself against future threats.”
Jatzczak added: “It’s nice to be here, surrounded by friends. Airpower is a good opportunity to strengthen our countries’ ties and get an overview of current market developments. We are currently procuring new F-35 fighter jets (-> Poland’s F-35s are called Husarz) and Apache helicopters (-> Poland receives largest Apache fleet outside the USA) and are in the middle of an integration process in which we want to increase our international cooperation. Airpower is a good platform for exchanging ideas and benefiting from the experience of other countries.”
Major General Promberger then took the floor again and spoke about the planned procurements of the Austrian Armed Forces in the air sector (C-390M as Hercules successor, new Black Hawks, increase in the Leonardo fleet -> Seventh Leonardo AW169 arrives in October) and the planned procurement of a new Advanced Jet Trainer -> Austrian Armed Forces examine offer for M-346FA from Leonardo). “We are completely repositioning ourselves here now and in the coming years,” said Promberger, who also revealed that work is underway on a regular Air Chief meeting in the DACH format in order to exchange ideas even more closely and benefit from each other’s experiences.”
Finally, Promberger presented a new Airchief-DACH format in which the Air Chiefs from Germany, Switzerland and Austria want to further intensify and expand their existing cooperation in the future.
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