Rapid Pacific 2022: the Luftwaffe under the Southern Cross

From Germany to Singapore in 24 hours, Operation Rapid Pacific 2022 represents the longest strategic deployment mission in the history of the Luftwaffe.

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On August 15, six Eurofighters, four A400M and three A330 MRTTMulti Role Tanker Transport (MRT) aircraft of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) flew 12,800 km in 24 hours in route to Australia, to participate in the international exercises Pitch Black 2022.

The exercise is taking place in northern Australia between August 19 and September 8 and includes the participation of some 100 aircraft and 2,500 military personnel from 17 countries, several of them NATO members, such as the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, the U.K., France and Germany.

See also: NATO spreads its wings – and shows its claws – over the Pacific

With the subsequent deployment to Australia and participation in two international exercises there, the German Air Force is testing its interoperability with allies inside and outside NATO in the Indo-Pacific area.

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In the Pitch Black air combat exercise, Eurofighters will practice air various air combat scenarios with international partners in larger formations. Eurofighters will be deployed in air-to-air and air-to-surface roles. In the multinational naval exercise Kakadu, German fighters will also be tasked with protecting allied ships from the air. Some 250 soldiers of the German Air Force are taking part.

The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) site reported that before returning to Germany, the units involved will conduct joint exercises with the Singapore Air Force and make visits to Japan and South Korea, in order to deepen relations with these valued partners.

With Rapid Pacific 2022 and its participation in the two exercises, the Bundeswehr is once again demonstrating its commitment to the allies in the Indo-Pacific region and its operational readiness to deploy to the area quickly, when required.

At the same time, the Luftwaffe continues to perform its air police duties in NATO’s northeast border region, ensuring the air defense of the Baltic countries.