Red Barons

On 21 April 1918, Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen – with 80 confirmed kills considered the ‘ace of aces’ of that era – fought his last air battle during WW I, when he was fatally injured. More than a century later, his legacy played a role in another scene, when the Red Barons of the Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 71, wearing the honorary title ‘Richthofen’, participated in Ramstein Flag 25. Although on the good side, they played the bad guys during several missions. Minor detail: they brought Eurofighters, rather more capable than the vintage Fokker Dr.I triplane.

Text and photos: Emiel Sloot

According to one of the participating pilots of TaktLwG 71, some half of the missions they undertook in the whole Ramstein Flag scenario was playing ‘Red Air’, the opponent to the Blue Forces. Like the other German Air Force Eurofighter units, TaktLwG 71 has both air-to-air and air-to-ground capacities in their toolbox. However, originating as a purely air defence wing or Jagdgeschwader until transforming into its current form a decade ago, the majority of missions flown are still in the air defence and air policing roles. While acting as the bad guys during RAFL25, they received guidelines by the exercise directors how to behave as opponent, to replicate a realistic threat for the kind of mission flown at that time. For the most part, all air battles were of the beyond-visual-range (BVR) kind. Close visual range encounters including dogfights were not a focus, since due to the massive amount of aircraft flying in a limited amount of airspace, deconfliction would become a factor. In other words: it would become hard to keep everyone at a safe distance. Not a risk worth taking in an exercise, with all those expensive aircraft and more important, valuable pilots flying around.

So, BVR engagements were the way to go. For this, the German Eurofighters can deploy a very advanced weapon: the Meteor. This active radar-guided long-range air-to-air missile is Made in Europe, something that can be regarded as a plus in today’s geopolitical situation.

From 2021, the final version of the Phase 2 Enhancement (P2Eb) upgrade became available to the Luftwaffe’s Eurofighter fleet, allowing all aircraft originally being delivered under the Tranche 2 and Tranche 3A contracts to be modified. P2Eb comprised both hardware and software changes, and would now allow for the Meteor to be carried and fired. At this stage, most if not all of the fleet should now be upgraded. The eight aircraft deployed to RAFL25 certainly were, according to the participating TaktLwG 71 pilot, although apparently the Meteor was only used in simulation.

As mentioned before, it was not only about playing villains. The other half of RAFL25 missions comprised ‘Blue Air’ sorties, and TaktLwG 71 was also allocated mission commander slots. Various aspects in view of their own operations within the exercise framework needed careful planning. Would they be either first or last on station? When to take off or scramble, if the need for the latter was there? When was their air-to-air refuelling slot? And if there was a predefined area to defend from hostile aircraft, what was the deconfliction plan to keep everyone involved safe?

Will all the valuable experiences gathered during the successful exercise, TaktLwG 71 would return home. Well, more home away from home, to be exact. The wing’s regular base at Wittmund is nearing the end of a large scale renovation that has lasted for over three years. During all this time, TaktLwG 71 has been operating out of Laage air base near Rostock, home base of TaktLwG 73 that also operates Eurofighters, albeit partly in the crew training role. The Richthofen personnel is very much looking forward to the reopening of Wittmund, since the shuttle of 450 km one-way is a bit of a weekly struggle. Fortunately for the lucky ones sent to RAFL25, Leeuwarden was less than halfway this distance.

In the coming years, new Tranche 4 Eurofighters equipped with the modern powerful Hensoldt ECRS (Eurofighter Common Radar System) Mk1 radar will become available to TaktLwG 71 ‘Richthofen’. The development of this system has been one with many challenges, but once available, it will of course form a great asset for future RAFL and similar exercises. From the enemy’s perspective, maybe just as feared as once the little, bright red Fokker with its two 7.92mm machine guns was. ■