After a three-year break, the Swiss Air Force once again showcased its capabilities in recent days as part of the AXALP 21 flying demonstration. Militär Aktuell was present at the official training.
On October 19 (training day) and 20, the Swiss Air Force demonstrated its skills on alpine terrain. The repeat of the program planned for 21 October was cancelled due to the difficult weather conditions. As usual, the event took place in the mountains at the Swiss Air Force’s Axalp-Ebenfluh firing range near Brienz in the canton of Bern. The spectators were able to experience the flight demonstrations up close from the Tschingel mountain at an altitude of 2,250 meters.
The F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft, the Pilatus PC-21 turboprop training aircraft, the Pilatus PC-6 small transport aircraft, the Eurocopter EC635 transport and training helicopter, the 06 Super Puma transport helicopter and Eurocopter AS532 UL Cougar Mk1 (a new version of the Super Puma), as well as the FE-5 Tiger II of the Patrouille Suisse took part in this year’s AXALP airshow. The one-and-a-half-hour air show was opened by four F/A-18s. The planes thundered past the spectators one after the other from different approach directions along the rock face, firing cannons at the targets marked on the slope.
Next, the EC635, Super Puma and Cougar helicopters presented their flight characteristics and various types of operation. The spectators were treated to a simulation of a fire-fighting operation, for example, in which the use of the external cargo containers mounted on the helicopters’ fuselage – also known as “Bambi buckets” – with a capacity of 2,500 liters was demonstrated. The presenter of the event recalled the deployment of three Swiss Air Force Super Pumas to Greece last summer to support the fire department in fighting the forest fires.
The program also included an air police exercise. Two F/A-18s acted out a scenario in which an unknown civilian aircraft that had entered Swiss airspace was intercepted and forced to land. The flight demonstrations were supplemented by missions by the special operations forces (Special Forces Command, KSK). In a first action, paratroopers from parachute reconnaissance company 17 jumped out of a PC-6 from 1,500 meters above ground. Next, eight special forces rappelled down from a helicopter, shot against the rock face with Panzerfaust and were evacuated from the deployment site after a few minutes by the same aircraft, with all soldiers hanging from a rope during the flight (this procedure is called SPIE – Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction). At the end of the air show, the FE-5 Tiger IIs of the Patrouille Suisse aerobatic team, painted red and with the white Swiss cross, flew. The air show took place for the first time since 2018. It was canceled in 2019 because cracks had been discovered on the landing flaps of the F/A-18C/D Hornet during inspection work shortly beforehand. Last year, the air show did not take place due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Axalp-Ebenfluh arena is not only used for air shows. The Swiss Air Force regularly practices there between October 1 and May 31, when the cows graze in the valley instead of on the pastures. The firing range was built in 1942 on the initiative of General Henri Guisan and is the highest airborne mountain firing range in Europe. The AXALP aerial shooting range is unique in the world. Not only the breathtaking scenery is unparalleled, but above all the fact that the fighter jets shoot with live ammunition.
The special nature of the place can already be guessed from the time it takes to get to the high mountains. From Brienz, visitors take a shuttle bus to the village of Axalp. From there, a two-and-a-half-hour hike is required, although a chairlift shortens the walk somewhat. The final part of the ascent to the Tschingel mountain is steep and secured in places with fixed ropes to hold on to. The hike, accompanied by the impressive 360-degree view of the high Alpine mountains and Lake Brienz in the valley, is an experience in itself.
