The Austrian Armed Forces will conduct air-to-ground firing from April 5 to 15, 2022 at the Allentsteig military training area. The German Bundeswehr will also take part with Eurofighters from the "Tactical Air Force Squadron 74" from Neuburg an der Donau.
The flights for the shooting training always take place on weekdays, training is only during the day. There will be no shooting on Good Friday. For the training of the Eurofighter pilots, the continuous and safe handling of the on-board cannon - even when firing live - is important and necessary. For this reason, the 27 mm cannon is used in the exercise. Two Austrian and up to four German Eurofighters will be flown. During the exercise, there will be no stopovers by German Eurofighters in Austria.
There has been intensive cooperation in various areas between the German and Austrian air forces for decades. After the introduction of the Eurofighter weapon system, this was further intensified. As part of this cooperation, a further deepening of skills is planned in addition to the exchange of experiences. In return, the Austrian Eurofighter pilots complete the air-to-air firing over the open sea in Germany.
“Soldiers must master their craft, and that requires practice. During exercises of this type, our pilots train under real physical stress, which is essential for their training. I am particularly pleased about the good cooperation and the exchange with the air forces of our German neighbors," said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP).