German Air Force
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.
| German Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Luftwaffe | |
| Founded | 9 January 1956 |
| Country | Germany |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size |
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| Part of | Federal Defence Forces |
| Air Force Command | Gatow |
| Nickname(s) | Team Luftwaffe |
| Motto(s) |
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| Engagements |
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| Website | luftwaffe |
| Commanders | |
| Inspector of the Air Force | Generalleutnant Ingo Gerhartz |
| Deputy Inspector of the Air Force | Generalleutnant Lutz Kohlhaus |
| Chief of Staff | Generalmajor Wolfgang Ohl |
| Notable commanders |
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| Insignia | |
| Roundel | |
| Fin flash | |
| Pilot's Flying Badge | |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Tornado IDS |
| Electronic warfare | Tornado ECR |
| Fighter | Eurofighter Typhoon, Tornado IDS |
| Helicopter | CH-53, H145M, AS532 |
| Trainer | Grob G-120, T-6 Texan II, T-38 Talon |
| Transport | A400M, Global Express 5000, A319, A350, A321 |
| Tanker | A400M |
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.