This article is about the German and West German air force after World War II. For the World War II air force of Germany, see Luftwaffe. For the World War I Army-affiliated air force of Germany, see Luftstreitkräfte. For the air force of East Germany, see Air Forces of the National People's Army. For other uses, see German Air Force (disambiguation).
German Air Force
Luftwaffe
Founded
9 January 1956; 68 years ago (1956-01-09)
Country
Germany
Type
Air force
Role
Aerial warfare
Size
27,725[1]
380 aircraft
Part of
Federal Defence Forces
Air Force Command
Gatow
Nickname(s)
Team Luftwaffe[2]
Motto(s)
Immer im Einsatz
"Always in action"[2]
Engagements
Operation Deliberate Force
Kosovo War
War in Afghanistan
Military intervention against ISIL
Northern Mali conflict
Website
luftwaffe.de
Commanders
Inspector of the Air Force
Generalleutnant Ingo Gerhartz[3]
Deputy Inspector of the Air Force
Generalleutnant Lutz Kohlhaus[3]
Chief of Staff
Generalmajor Wolfgang Ohl
Notable commanders
General Josef Kammhuber
General Johannes Steinhoff
Generalleutnant Günther Rall
Insignia
Roundel
Fin flash
Pilot's Flying Badge
Aircraft flown
Attack
Tornado IDS
Electronic warfare
Tornado ECR
Fighter
Eurofighter Typhoon, Tornado IDS
Helicopter
CH-53, H145M, AS532
Trainer
Grob G-120, T-6 Texan II, T-38 Talon
Transport
A400M, Global Express 5000, A319, A350, A321
Tanker
A400M
Military unit
The German Air Force (German: Luftwaffe, lit. 'air weapon or air arm', German pronunciation:[ˈlʊftvafə]ⓘ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the Bundeswehr) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Germany. After the reunification of West and East Germany in 1990, it integrated parts of the air force of the former German Democratic Republic, which itself had been founded in 1956 as part of the National People's Army. There is no organizational continuity between the current German Air Force and the former Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht founded in 1935, which was completely disbanded in 1945/46 after World War II. The term Luftwaffe that is used for both the historic and the current German air force is the German-language generic designation of any air force.
The commander of the German Air Force is Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz. As of 2015, the German Air Force uses eleven air bases, two of which host no flying units. Furthermore, the Air Force has a presence at three civil airports. In 2012, the German Air Force had an authorized strength of 28,475 active airmen and 4,914 reservists.[4]
^"Bundeswehr". Retrieved 18 November 2023.
^ abHeiner Möllers (2012). Tradition und Traditionsverständnis in der Deutschen Luftwaffe: Geschichte - Gegenwart - Perspektiven. BoD – Books on Demand. pp. 57–. ISBN 978-3-941571-17-4.
^ ab"Kommando Luftwaffe". Retrieved 26 January 2024.
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