Scope and extent of restricted airspace
The military exercise makes the establishment of four separate flight restriction areas (ED-R WIC1 F1 to F4) The airspace and spatial extensions of different heights are required:
ED-R WIC1 F1
- VerticalFL100 (approx. 3,000 m) to FL350 (approx. 10,600 m)
- LocationNortheastern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to the west of Usedom and Greifswald
- Kind: large-scale training area for medium altitudes
ED-R WIC1 F2
- VerticalFL100 to FL450 (approx. 13,700 m)
- LocationCovers large parts between Neustrelitz, Neubrandenburg, Brandenburg an der Havel, south to Luckenwalde
- KindMain training area with low to high flight phases
ED-R WIC1 F3
- VerticalFL100 to FL210
- Location: Area between Stendal, Brandenburg, Rathenow and Wittenberg
- PurposeLow-flying exercises and tactical navigation flights
ED-R WIC1 F4
- VerticalFL350 to FL450
- Location: spatially identical to F3, but exclusively for high flight attitudes
- Purpose: Transition and air refuelling manoeuvres
Activation times of the flight restrictions
The restricted areas are not permanentbut in daily time windows from 30 June to 4 July 2025 active. The following times apply (UTC in each case):
- 07:00 - 08:30 a.m.
- 13:00 - 14:30
These periods have been set in such a way as to minimise the impact on both scheduled civil traffic and general aviation - but Significant rescheduling of IFR and VFR flight operations to be reckoned with.
Flight bans and exemptions
During the activation times all flights by aircraft not participating in the exercise within the above-mentioned areas is prohibited. This also applies to:
- Drones (UAS)
- Model aeroplanes
- Gliders
- General aviation sports pilots
The following flight movements are exempt from the closure - subject to prior approval by the responsible air traffic control centre:
- Aircraft on behalf of the Bundeswehr and its NATO partners
- State aircraft
- Police flights
- Rescue and disaster control operations
- Ambulance flights
- IFR flightsif coordinated with ATC
A request for release is via radiotelephony to the respective air traffic control unit.
Legal consequences
Violations of the restrictions imposed are not an administrative offence, but are considered an offence under § Section 62 of the Air Traffic Act (LuftVG) as Criminal offence. This also applies explicitly to recreational pilots and drone pilots who move uncoordinated in restricted airspace during the activation times - even in the case of short-term intrusions.
Significance for general aviation
For General Aviation (GA) pilotsThis measure will have a noticeable impact on flight schools, balloonists, gliding clubs and drone pilots:
- Route adjustments are required - both at low and medium heights
- Short-term airspace changes are possible - especially if the military flight plan is diverted due to weather conditions
- Dense frequency assignment in neighbouring sectors is to be expected
Pilots are urgently requested to keep up to date with NOTAMs and AUP/UUP messages before every flight (e.g. via DFS AIS, Eurocontrol NM B2B, SkyDemon or ForeFlight).
Background of the exercise
Even though no official name for the exercise is given in the announcement, the scope and structure of the exercise indicate a Multinational air force exercise as part of NATO planning to. Comparable scenarios have been carried out in the past under the names "Air Defender", "Quadriga" or "Rapid Pacific".
These are exercises for Air superiority, air refuelling, tactical deployment and mission commandwith the participation of international forces and frequent relocations of aircraft (e.g. Eurofighter, Tornado, A400M, tanker aircraft).
Source references:
NFL (the link requires a subscription to Eisenschmidt)