Starting from Monday, August 17th, 2020, the first joint exercise of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and the German Air Force will take place in Germany. This exercise is the only international exercise that the IAF is conducting abroad this year, due to the spread of Corona virus.
The exercise is being held in order to continue enhancing the IAF’s capabilities to undertake missions in unfamiliar terrain, as part of its mission to maintain the IAF's readiness, its ability to deal with various scenarios, and to continue strengthening the bonds and cooperation between the IAF and allied air forces. As part of the exercise, Israel's six F-16 "Barak" fighter jets, two Boeing 707 "Re'em" transport jets, and two Gulfstream G-550 "Eitam" control jets will land in the "Nörvenich" Airbase in Germany.
Over the course of the two-week exercise, the IAF alongside NATO members will practice different aerial maneuvers as part of the "MAG Days" exercise, an international event that takes place four times per year. During the exercise the air forces will perform dozens of flyovers that will simulate scenarios of air-to-air battles and air-to-ground battles, dealing with advanced ground-to-air missile threats and combat maneuvers over enemy terrain.
On Tuesday, August 18th 2020, a "Memory for the Future" flyby will take place - a joint flyby, led by an IAF Gulfstream G550 jet with F-16 fighter jets and two German "Eurofighter" jets, will fly by Dachau concentration camp, in memory of the Holocaust victims and above the “Fürstenfeldbruck” Airport close to Munich, in the memory of the 11 athletes that were murdered in Munich, members of the 1972 Olympic delegation. The flyby will be led by the Commanding Officer of the IAF, Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin, who will fly the Gulfstream G550 jet alongside the Commanding Officer of the German Air Force, Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, and the first female Commanding Officer of the 122nd Squadron, Lt. Col. G'.
After the flyby, an official memorial ceremony at the Dachau concentration camp will be held. The ceremony will be attended by the German Federal Minister of Defense, Mrs. Annegret Kramp Karrenbauer, the Israeli Ambassador to Germany, Mr. Jeremy Issacharoff, the Commanding Officers of both air forces and other dignitaries. The Deputy Commanding Officer of the 109th Squadron, Maj. Y, a grandson of a Holocaust survivor of the Dachau concentration camp, will speak at the ceremony. In addition, an "Yizkor" reading will be heard from Rabbi Mendel Moraity. The ceremony will be broadcast live on IAF and IDF digital platforms.
In addition, the Commanding Officers of both air forces will visit the memorial monument of the 11 murdered athletes in Munich. The exercise holds top strategic importance and has substantial influence on the IAF, the IDF and the State of Israel. The Israeli-German cooperation and the arrival of IAF jets on German soil is a historic event. The IAF is and will continue exercising with foreign air forces to maintain the force’s capability and readiness, to enhance connections and interest and to encourage and strengthen the mutual learning between the air forces.
