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German Air Force

This article is about the German and West German air force after World War II. For the World War II air force of Germany, see Luftwaffe. For the World War I Army-affiliated air force of Germany, see Luftstreitkräfte. For the air force of East Germany, see Air Forces of the National People's Army. For other uses, see German Air Force (disambiguation).

German Air Force
Luftwaffe
Founded9 January 1956 (1956-01-09)
Country Germany
TypeAir force
RoleAerial warfare
Size
  • 27,725[1]
  • 380 aircraft
Part ofFederal Defence Forces
Air Force CommandGatow
Nickname(s)Team Luftwaffe[2]
Motto(s)
  • Immer im Einsatz
  • "Always in action"[2]
Engagements
Websiteluftwaffe.de
Commanders
Inspector of the Air ForceGeneralleutnant Ingo Gerhartz[3]
Deputy Inspector of the Air ForceGeneralleutnant Lutz Kohlhaus[3]
Chief of StaffGeneralmajor Wolfgang Ohl
Notable
commanders
Insignia
Roundel
Fin flash
Pilot's Flying Badge
Aircraft flown
AttackTornado IDS
Electronic
warfare		Tornado ECR
FighterEurofighter Typhoon, Tornado IDS
HelicopterCH-53, H145M, AS532
TrainerGrob G-120, T-6 Texan II, T-38 Talon
TransportA400M, Global Express 5000, A319, A350, A321
TankerA400M

The German Air Force (German: Luftwaffe, lit. 'air weapon or air arm', German pronunciation: [ˈlʊftvafə] ⓘ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the Bundeswehr) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Germany. After the reunification of West and East Germany in 1990, it integrated parts of the air force of the former German Democratic Republic, which itself had been founded in 1956 as part of the National People's Army. There is no organizational continuity between the current German Air Force and the former Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht founded in 1935, which was completely disbanded in 1945/46 after World War II. The term Luftwaffe that is used for both the historic and the current German air force is the German-language generic designation of any air force.

The commander of the German Air Force is Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz. As of 2015, the German Air Force uses eleven air bases, two of which host no flying units. Furthermore, the Air Force has a presence at three civil airports. In 2012, the German Air Force had an authorized strength of 28,475 active airmen and 4,914 reservists.[4]

  1. ^ "Bundeswehr". Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Heiner Möllers (2012). Tradition und Traditionsverständnis in der Deutschen Luftwaffe: Geschichte - Gegenwart - Perspektiven. BoD – Books on Demand. pp. 57–. ISBN 978-3-941571-17-4.
  3. ^ a b "Kommando Luftwaffe". Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  4. ^ The Military Balance 2012, p.118