Hornets invades Mollis AB next week

If weather permits, there will be a couple of Hornets taking posession of former Air Force Base in Mollis. Planned date is September 21st, but it can be a day or two later.

Exercise lasts only one day and not much activity planned except the landing and departure, 2-4 Hornets are planned.

Pictures taken due last repetition course in Mollis with F-5E/F Tiger II aircrafts, including a small airshow with an then brand new visiting Hornet (above) - 1998 !

'Pablo' will be new Commander of the Swiss Air Force in 2021

 Actually in charge for the evaluation of the new combat aircraft, former Fighter Squadron 11 leader and base commander for Meiringen - Peter 'PABLO' Merz will be Commander of the Swiss Air Force from July 1st, 2021. Congratulations !

new 2020 brochure of PC-7 Team

 

With a little hope we will see the PC-7 Team in action this year - if not this new brochure will help over our loss ....

-> the brochure can be downloaded here (pdf)

Display Teams training weeks cancelled due COVID-19

 This year is a very hard year - at the moment all training weeks are cancelled. Let's hope it will get better in october for another chance.

Axalp (Ebenfluh) Air Power Demonstration 2020 cancelled

 Like most of us feared, also this event is cancelled due the COVID crisis

Swiss Army Chooses Lockheed Martin’s Indago 3 UAS For Tactical Reconnaissance And Surveillance

Together with the bigger UAS of the type Hermes 900 (named ADS15 by Swiss Air Force), Swiss Army receives new drones for tactical use too.  Lockheed Martin’s Indago 3 was chosen. Both systems should be compatible with the software chosen.

Source: Lockheed Martin

Display schedule Hornet Display Team training week, August 2020

Changes are still possible due COVID'19, but it looks that Hornet Display too is preparing the training week. Due the actual situation, Nicolas 'Vincent' Rossier will take responsibility to fly 2020 and the new pilot will be trained in 2021 if the situation permits.

Moyenne Alt: Medium Altitude
Basse Alt: Low Altitude

Display schedule of Patrouille Suisse Training Course - August 2020

Finally, with nearly every Airshow cancelled due COVID19 the Patrouille Suisse expects to train the following dates. And yes, I'm not really shure how Axalp Shuttle Service will be organised - so be aware that this year can be very complicated.

Public Open Day / Airshow: PayAIR'n 21

With this lost year 2020 for Airshows, Payerne Air Base will hoist an interesting event next year, an Open Door event;

01st May 2021: PayAIR'n 21

other events of interest in Switzerland 2021:

11-13th June, 2021: Motor Classics, Lenzerheide https://www.lenzerheide-motorclassics.ch/
26/27th June, 2021: Seefest, Zug http://www.zugerseefest.ch/
28th July, 2021: different Air Displays, Samedan (Super Puma Display Team et al) due ProAero Youth Camp
20-22nd August, 2021: Flugtage Wittinsburg http://www.flugtage-wittinsburg.ch/
21st August, 2021: Hunterfest, St. Stephan http://www.hunterverein.ch/
28/29th August, 2021: Flugtage, Dittingen http://www.flugtage.ch/

Collision PC-7 Team with Camera, St. Moritz 2017: Former team leader awaits trial

After the collision of an (NC)PC-7 Turbo Trainer aircraft with an cable on Ski Worldcup February 17, 2017 at St. Moritz, military justice is ready for the trial against the former team leader. The pilot touching the cable and damaging aircraft and installations was already acquitted for.

Source: https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-79349.html

Payerne closed for runway works, like every summer. June 2nd 'till July 3rd, 2020

Like every year the military airfields in switzerland closes down for some weeks for maintenance works on runway and installations.

The main base Payerne will be closed from June 2nd 'till July 3rd, 2020.

QRA/Air Defence (LPD24) from 0600-2200h LT will be executed out of Meiringen during this time, together with nearly all flights with F-18 Hornet.

Treaty on Open Skies at end ? we hope not

With United States decision to withdraw from the 1992 established Treaty, the other 33 signatory states has to make decisions to continue the mission - a program of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of its participants.

The program was established for mutual understanding and confidence between those States with allowing unarmed surveillance flights over there territory.

The actual decision is a political one, but not to the best of the people living on this small blue planet.


I had the chance to see some of those special equipped aircrafts back in 1999 at RIAT Fairford, UK. One of the special themes there was Open Skies.

Some nice pictures of those missions you can watch here: https://www.osce.org/fsc/66205

Czech Republic Air Force's Antonov An-30FG (cn 1107), wfu 2003 and dismantled/moved to Zruc Air Park

Royal Air Force's Hawker Siddeley HS-780 Andover C1(PR), XS596 (cn 1574)

Russia Air Force's Antonov An-30B BLACK 04 (cn 0704), w/o 23may12 on landing at Cáslav after an Open Skies mission over Czechia when came in too fast, caught fire and burnt out. 6 of 23 crew injured. Actual Open Skies aircrafts are Tupolev Tu-154M LK-1 and Tupolev Tu-214ON.

This Boeing OC-135B (717-158) 61-2670 / OF (cn 18346) is the Open Skies aircraft of the USA. With the actual discussion the missions will be flown by specialised military aircrafts in the future - like those RC-135V Rivet Joint:

USAF Boeing RC-135V Rivet Joint (739-445B), 62-4132 / OF (cn 18472)