In a remarkable display of combat readiness and alliance solidarity, the skies above Ramstein Air Base in Germany thundered with the sound of dogfights as pilots from nine NATO countries took part in the inaugural “Ramstein 1v1” fighter jet exercise.

This historic event not only marks a new chapter in aerial combat training but also showcases the strategic agility of the NATO alliance.

On a crisp morning, the airfield, typically a hub for cargo and transport aircraft, transformed into a stage for an aerial ballet of 37 fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets, including U.S. and Norwegian F-35s, French Dassault Rafales, and Italian Alenia Aermacchi M-346s.

This U.S.-led drill, hosted by the U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, was unique, perhaps the first instance of dissimilar NATO jets engaging in one-on-one basic fighting maneuvers, or dogfighting, since the end of the Cold War.

The exercise personifies the strategic importance of interoperability and trust among the forces that often need to operate in unison under the NATO banner.

“It really comes from our commander, Gen. (James) Hecker,” Lt. Col. Michael Loringer, USAFE-AFAFRICA chief of weapons and tactics, revealed.

Hecker’s vision was inspired by a bygone era of routine interactions among NATO aviators, which had diminished over time.

“How do we solve that?” he asked. “So that was our objective, to normalize us being able to go and fly with one another and build that trust between the pilots,” Loringer explained.

The commitment to this objective was echoed by German Col. Michael Trautermann from NATO’s Allied Air Command at Ramstein.

“That needs to be practiced again because some of that has not been executed to that level in the past 20, 30 years,” he stressed, emphasizing the necessity to rekindle such cooperative drills.

The planning of this grand spectacle took nine months, a testament to the meticulousness required for such a multinational endeavor.

Pilots were briefed and assigned call signs and frequencies for air traffic control, along with a specific time and coordinate.

“They don’t know who they’re fighting until they see each other,” Loringer said, highlighting the unpredictability that real combat entails.

RAF Lakenheath F-35 pilots Capts. Moritz Wienke and Patrick Pearce experienced the challenge firsthand, dueling with unfamiliar airframes.

“You’re working with jets that you normally don’t get to, which is pretty awesome, invaluable training,” Pearce said.

Relevant articles:
– Allies square off at Ramstein in one-on-one fighter jet competition, Stars and Stripes
– NATO jets to ‘fight’ NATO jets on exercise, UK Defence Journal
– USAFE in the Dangerous Decade, Air & Space Forces Magazine
– Ukraine urges for more weapons and fighter jets as 50 allies meet in Germany, Forces Network