''Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51'' "Immelmann" (Tactical Air Force Wing 51 "Immelmann"), formerly known as ''Aufklärungsgeschwader 51'' (Reconnaissance Wing 51), is a tactical reconnaissance wing of the
German Air Force.
In the beginning of the 1990s, the German Air Force disbanded its two reconnaissance air wings (Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 in Bremgarten and Aufklärungsgeschwader 52 in Leck) and phased out their
RF-4Es. At the same time, the German Navy made the decision to disband one of its two Tornado fighter-bomber wings. A new dedicated tactical reconnaissance air wing was needed, so in 1992 the Tornado IDS aircraft and manpower of the 1st Flying Squadron of the Navy's MFG-1 together with the Jagel Air Base were transferred to the Air Force to form the new wing under the interim designation Air Force Tornado Wing Jagel. The 2nd Flying Squadron became the third Tornado squadron in the Navy's single remaining fighter-bomber air wing - the MFG-2 at Tarp-Eggebek. A year later in 1993 the wing took over the 51st Reconnaissance Wing (''Aufklärungsgeschwader 51'' (''AG-51'')) designation and the honorary name of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
German flying ace
Max Immelmann
Max Immelmann (21 September 1890 – 18 June 1916) '' PLM'' was the first German World War I flying ace.Shores, 1983, p. 10. He was a pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory using a synchro ...
.
After the German Navy disbanded its fighter-bomber aviation in 2005, the AG 51 took over the maritime strike role. A further reduction of the German Air Force saw the specialized Suppression Of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) role and Tornado ECR aircraft of the disbanded JBG-32 in Lechfeld in 2013 transferred to AG-51. The disbandment of Tornado tactical flying training in the US rounded out the wing's current mission package of tactical reconnaissance, electronic warfare, maritime strike and Tornado flying training.
To accomplish its mission, the wing operates 37
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS ( in ...
aircraft as well as 8
IAI Heron drones.
The Tornado aircraft are equipped with reconnaissance sensors that are carried in a pod mounted under the fuselage. Depending on the variant used, the reconnaissance pod with optical and infrared sensors, can reconnoiter targets both day and night.
In 2007, to support NATO coalition operations across
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 "Immelmann" deployed Tornados to
Mazar-i-Sharif
, official_name =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia
, pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif
, pushpin ...
, Northern Afghanistan.
On 1 October 2013, the unit was renamed in the course of adaptations to the new structure of the German Air Force from Reconnaissance Wing to Tactical Air Force Wing.
Tasks
Originally a pure reconnaissance wing, AG 51 took over the role of naval air warfare in 2005 when Germany's Naval Air Wing 2 was disbanded. The role of
Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses was inherited in April 2013 from
Jagdbombergeschwader 32
''Jagdbombergeschwader 32'' (Fighter-Bomber Wing 32; abbreviated as: ''JaBoG 32'') was a fighter-bomber wing of the German Air Force (''Luftwaffe''). The wing was based in the south of Germany at Lechfeld Airbase and flew Tornado IDS and Tornado ...
when the latter unit was disbanded.
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Wings of the German Air Force
Military units and formations established in 1992