![]() Conversion to F- 16s at Hahn AB, Germany, was completed in 1982. F-15Cs and Ds from Bitburg AB, Germany, and Camp New Amsterdam in the Netherlands would provide potent air defense in the NATO center. Thanks in part to system modernization in recent years, these in-place forces are looking good. The opening battle over the continent, though, would be in the hands of airmen from US Air Forces in Europe (U SAFE) and NATO partner nations. It would have to establish air superiority, keep enemy fighters off the backs of friendly forces, and also help defeat the ground assault. In the first crucial hours of conflict, echelons of armor-intensive ground forces would hammer NATO’s forward defenses while wave after wave of tactical aircraft would seek control of the skies and destruction of NATO air defenses, air bases, and command and control centers.Įven after reinforcements began arriving from the United States, allied airpower would have its hands full. Warsaw Pact doctrine, dictated by the Soviet Union, emphasizes surprise and quick victory. ![]() NATO’s ground defenses are situated near the inter-German border, and only about fifteen minutes of flying time separates the forward elements of the opposing air forces. If war came to Europe, events would unfold rapidly. ![]()
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