''Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33'' (Tactical Air Force Wing 33; abbreviated as: ''TaktLwG 33''), formerly known as ''Jagdbombergeschwader 33'' (Fighter-Bomber Wing 33; abbreviated as: ''JaBoG 33'') is a fighter-bomber wing of the

German Air Force The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , 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 ...

(''Luftwaffe''). The wing is based in west Germany at

Büchel Air Base Büchel Air Base is a military air base of the Luftwaffe in Büchel (Germany), near the city of Cochem and at about 70 km from Spangdahlem Air Base. It is home to the Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 (Tactical Air Force Wing 33; abbrevi ...

. Its role are

Air Interdiction Air interdiction (AI), also known as deep air support (DAS), is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, to delay, disrupt or hinder later enemy engagement of ...

Offensive Counter Air Offensive counter-air (OCA) is a military term for the suppression of an enemy's military air power, primarily through ground attacks targeting enemy air bases: disabling or destroying parked aircraft, runways, fuel facilities, hangars, air traffi ...

and

Close Air Support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movemen ...

. The wing flies the

Panavia Tornado IDS 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 (interd ...

. The Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader rondle and patch display a top down view of the Tornado IDS. The unit was renamed on 1 October 2013 in the course of the restructuring of the German Air Force.

History

On 13 November 1956 the Luftwaffe raised its first flying school at

Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base (German: "Fliegerhorst Fürstenfeldbruck" or "Flugplatz Fürstenfeldbruck") is a former German Air Force airfield near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany. Fürstenfeldbruck became famous firs ...

under Major Walter Krupinski. The unit was named ''Waffenschule der Luftwaffe 30'' (Air Force Weapons School 30) and flew

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...

fighters. At the end of October 1957 the unit began its transfer to

, where on 1 July 1958 the School was officially reformed as ''Jagdbombergeschwader 33''. In May 1959 the wing transferred for a month-long training exercise to Bandirma air Base in Turkey. Since the end of 1960 ''JaboG 33'' regularly visits

Decimomannu Air Base Decimomannu Air Base is an Italian Air Force (''Aeronautica Militare'') air base located approximately north of Decimomannu a ''comune'' in the Province of Cagliari on the island of Sardinia in Italy. It is a military airport located northwest ...

on Sardinia to participate in NATO

Dissimilar Air Combat Training Dissimilar air combat training (DACT) was introduced as a formal part of US air combat training after disappointing aerial combat exchange rates in the Vietnam War. Traditionally, pilots would undertake air combat training against similar aircra ...

exercises. Beginning in August 1962 the wing began transition to

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the "Century Series" of fi ...

s. On 30 May 1985 the wing had completed its transition to the

. The German Air Force intends to keep 46 Tornado IDS of ''JaBoG 33'' in service until at least 2025 to ensure Germany's participation in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

nuclear sharing Nuclear sharing is a concept in NATO's policy of nuclear deterrence, which allows member countries without nuclear weapons of their own to participate in the planning for the use of nuclear weapons by NATO. In particular, it provides for the ar ...

concept.

Nuclear sharing

46+22 German Air Force Panavia Tornado ILA Berlin 2016 06

Jagdbombergeschwader 33 is the only remaining unit in the German Air Force capable of delivering nuclear weapons. In bunkers at

the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

can store up to 44

B61 nuclear bomb The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear gravity bomb in the United States Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is a low to intermediate-yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation im ...

s for use on the German Tornados. The number of currently stored bombs at Büchel is classified, but estimated to be between 10 and 20 bombs. The bombs are serviced, guarded and in case of war activated by the US Air Force's 702nd Munitions Support Squadronhttp://www.spangdahlem.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=8418 US Air Force Factsheet: 702nd Munitions Support Squadron of the

52d Munitions Maintenance Group 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...

52d Fighter Wing The 52nd Fighter Wing (52 FW) is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It flies the F-16CJ fighter aircraft. It was activated in 1948, but derives significant elements of its history from the predeces ...

. Due to the Büchel air base having a special mandate to ensure the safety of its nuclear weapons, the wing is the only flying unit of the Air Force to have an attached security squadron, the Luftwaffensicherungsstaffel "S". It is equipped with 429 soldiers, the largest squadron of the Air Force. On 1 April 2013 it was reclassified into two sections.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Jagdbombergeschwader 033 Military units and formations established in 1958 1958 establishments in Germany