Bundeswehr Resumes Unrestricted Low-Altitude Flight Training
Berlin – the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) have fully liftedโฃ restrictions onโ low-altitude flightโฃ training, ending limits on both โannual flight hours and theโค duration pilots can remainโ at lower โaltitudes during exercises. The changes, finalized in โขMay, mark a notable shiftโ in operational readiness following a โคgradual easing โฃof โconstraints initiated after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraineโ in 2022.
Previously, Bundeswehr pilots were limited โฃtoโค a maximumโ of 20 minutes when flying below certainโค altitudes during trainingโข exercises. A quota system capping annual โคflight hours was also in place. The removal of these restrictionsโฃ signals a โฃrenewedโค focus on preparing pilots for a widerโข range of operational โscenarios and enhancing the Bundeswehr’s overall capabilities amid heightened geopolitical tensions.
The easing โขof restrictions began in July 2023 with the abolishment of the annual flight hour and time limits. The latest โmove, implemented at the beginning of May, allows pilots to spend unlimited time “over a training target โคbelowโข certain altitudes,” according to sources within the German Defense โขMinistry.This โฃdevelopment comes as part of a broader effort to modernize and strengthen the Bundeswehr, spurred by the evolving โsecurity landscape in europe.
