This week I was pleased to see some of my photos in print. Both Air Forces Monthly from the UK and Defence International from Taiwan published my Ramstein 1v1 article. And as an added bonus, Air Forces Monthly used one of my photos from Ramstein 1v1 as a background for one of their adverts.
Air Forces Monthly
When the word went round that Ramstein Air Base was hosting a one-day exercise called Ramstein 1v1 with several fighter jets from different NATO countries attending I called my buddy Leo and together we drove off to Rheinland-Pfalz to see what Ramstein 1v1 had to offer.
Behind the scenes
Whilst at the base we had a chat with Lieutenant Colonel Kyle 'Cyclone' Rutherford. Lt Col Rutherford explained that Ramstein 1v1 includes both aviators and aircrew from nine NATO countries, bringing 37 NATO aircraft to Ramstein. "The Ramstein 1v1 exercise is similar to the US Navy's Fighter Weapons School (better known as Top Gun) 1v1 event. Basic fighter maneuvering (BFM), perhaps better known as dog fighting, is a foundational skill for fighter pilots. Additionally, we talk a lot about interoperability and today, we are exemplifying that capability by having jets cross serviced by ground crews from other countries. For example, the Norwegian F-35's could only participate today based on US maintainers offering to help to service their aircraft. Furthermore, Ramstein 1v1 is a prime opportunity to hone our skills in a fun but learning experience that builds camaraderie amongst all the participants."
Luftwaffe Oberst (Colonel) Michael 'T-man' Trautermann, commander of the German units based at Ramstein, explained to us that it not just about getting the aircraft , pilots and maintainers to Ramstein but also about reserving airspace so that these trainings can actually take place. "Having the exercise run by USAFE at Ramstein had the added advantage that NATO Allied Air Command is also based at Ramstein and that helped keeping lines between NATO nations short. Ramstein 1v1 will demonstrate the strength and unity of our alliance. The skills honed here will contribute significantly to our collective defense capabilities."
Oberst Trautermann also added that cross servicing is becoming a more sought-after skill. Whilst in the 1990s any NATO pilot could land at any NATO airfield and have his jet serviced this is not as common now. So having exercises like this is of great importance to both air crew and ground crew.
The aircraft
The exercise featured a variety of fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-35 Lightning IIs, Eurofighter Typhoons, Rafales, and modernized F-16s. The exercise consisted of multiple sorties, with pilots engaging in simulated dogfights.
The images
Although we enjoyed our chats with Cyclone and T-Man we came to Ramstein with one thing in mind, to get some images of the flying participants! So we unpacked our photo gear and got to work.
All in all Leo and I were both very pleased with the results. A big thanks to the Ramstein PAO for making this visit possible!
