THE 'ZEITENWENDE' SPEECH OF GERMAN CHANCELLOR TO the Bundestag, at the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, signified the changing times while reversing Germany's previously cautious defence policy. In this interview, Lt General Ingo Gerhartz, Chief of German Air Force refers to this 'historic turning point' as a cornerstone of the ongoing German military modernisation.
With Zeitenwende, Germany aims to restore the glorious legacy of the Luftwaffe for its air power and resurrect its technological prowess with new generation acquisitions like the stealthy fifth generation F-35 and Patriot air defence systems while simultaneously modernising its assets with "supersonic speed". In a sweeping move, Germany has raised the defence budget by 2 per cent of the GDP with an additional fund of a staggering Euro 100 billion to modernise its ageing assets. On August 15, the US announced the sale of 600 Patriot air defence missiles to Germany, at an estimated cost $5 billion. At the same time, the Eurofighter, as the frontier combat jet, will undergo massive upgradation for electronic warfare purposes.
For the Luftwaffe and German military, it is equally a new era for Indo-German partnerships which also echo a historic bond. The unfolding of the next-generation submarine under P-75(1) with AIP and calls for acquiring next-generation military transport aircraft (A400M) to refuelers (A330 MRTT) puts Germany at the heart of strategic collaboration with India.
Manish Kumar Jha (Manish Jha): Luftwaffe has an impeccable legacy, technologically ahead of the times. Give us an overview of the German Air Force's capabilities today. We also understand there’s a lot of debate within the German parliament for modernising the Luftwaffe in terms of the defence budget and acquiring new assets in the wake of ongoing regional conflict.
Esta historia es de la edición Issue 8, 2024 de SP’s Aviation.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición Issue 8, 2024 de SP’s Aviation.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
BOEING'S SERVICE SUPPORT FOR SELF-RELIANCE IN AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE
Boeing Defence India (BDI) remains committed to developing in-country capabilities and strengthening its support for India's defence ecosystem
"WILL CONTINUE THE POLICY FOR DEFENCE REFORMS TO BOOST MANUFACTURING"
Furthering the country's defence production target of three lakh crore by 2029 and leading such initiatives is Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary, Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence. In an exclusive interaction, Consulting and Contributing Editor Manish Kumar Jha speaks with the Secretary, on his roadmap and policies for spurring defence manufacturing in India, for both public and private sectors.
LESSONS FOR AIRPOWER
Learning from the Past and Ongoing Conflicts
"OUR CURRENT R&D BUDGET IS WOEFULLY SHORT"
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, Chief of the Air Staff believes that while concentrated efforts to increase the same are on-going, the private industry would also need to actively invest in this sector
AW109 TREKKERM
Leonardo's state-of-the-art multi-role military light helicopter
IAF'S CHALLENGES AND KEY SOLUTIONS
Major industry platforms like Aero India 2025, showcasing advanced aerospace and defence technology solutions, present a crucial opportunity for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to address its operational challenges
CIRRUS SR22: CHOOSE CAPS FOR SAFETY!
Cirrus Aircraft and COPA set out to create a culture in which pilots who operated the CAPS system were celebrated - not criticised or even questioned - for their decision. This resulted in a steep drop in accident rates.
SEARCH FOR A MEDIUM LIFT HELICOPTER
The Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH), offering diverse capabilities, is being developed to cater to both military and civilian applications
INDIAN AEROSPACE INDUSTRY AT AN INFLECTION POINT
Aero India 2025 is a golden opportunity for all stakeholders, from policymakers to DRDO, PSUS and private industry, to come together and showcase their commitment to not only make India Atmanirbhar in Aerospace but also be a reliable and capable exporter of aerospace products
"MIDDLE-EAST REGION IS A LAUNCH PAD, AND OUR AIRCRAFT ARE WELL-SUITED FOR MISSIONS OUT OF HERE"
The MEBAA show, held in Dubai every second year, witnesses a very regular participation of Gulfstream Aerospace. The 2024 edition held in December last year also witnessed a great and active participation of Gulfstream. Jayant Baranwal, Editorin-Chief, SP's Aviation, had an exclusive conversation at this occasion, with Michael Swift, Group Vice President - Sales, EMEA & APAC, Gulfstream Aerospace.
