US fighter jet crashes in Germany
An American F-16 fighter jet crashed and its pilot ejected to safety near the city of Trier in western Germany on Tuesday, the German air force told AFP.
The airman was 'recovered with minor injuries' after crashing during a 'routine training mission', the US Air Force base at nearby Spangdahlem confirmed in a statement.
Local police said they rushed to the scene of the crash near the village of Zemmer after receiving multiple emergency calls around 3:15 pm local time (1315 GMT).
Authorities blocked off a large zone around the crash site including several roads, the police statement added, urging drivers to avoid the area.
Germany is no stranger to military aircraft crashes, including in its own shortage-plagued Bundeswehr armed forces.
In June this year, two of the air force's Eurofighter jets crashed after colliding in mid-air in northeastern Germany. One of the pilots was killed, while the other ejected to safety.
Less than a week later, a helicopter pilot died when his aircraft crashed near an army training centre.
The last American military crash in Germany was in 2015, when one of the Spangdahlem base's F-16 fighters went down in northern Bavaria.
In that incident, the pilot survived after ejecting from the plane.
More from Defence Notes
-
Israel defence ministry pushes ambitious spending plans for tanks, drones and KC-46 aircraft
The procurement and acceleration production plans – some of which still await approval – across the air and land domains will aim to strengthen the operational needs of the Israel Defense Forces.
-
US reforms its defence acquisition system to focus on commercial capabilities
This shift is planned to accelerate the procurement and fielding of capabilities. As part of this strategy, the US also intends modernise its regulations in an attempt to change its bureaucratic and risk-averse culture.
-
Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre concludes after a series of firsts
More than 40,000 military personnel from 19 participating nations took part in the 11th iteration of the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre multi-domain event which was held across Australia and in Papua New Guinea.
-
US Africa Command targets logistic solutions
AFRICOM is seeking IT systems and supply chain management solutions to enhance interoperability and standardise logistical processes in its area of responsibility.
-
Rheinmetall sales up by almost a quarter on wave of German spending
Germany’s Rheinmetall released its 1H 2025 results on 7 August, continuing the strong growth of recent years. A particular highlight of the result’s presentation was the Skyranger air defence system for which the company is predicting sales of about US$8.2 billion from the German Government before the end of the year.
-
Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave
Vehicle and technology companies are reporting substantial growth compared to the first half of 2024. Italy’s Fincantieri saw revenues jump 24% for the first half of the year compared to 2024 and Thales up 6.8% for the same period. General Dynamics reported second quarter revenue growth of 8.9% for the second quarter compared to last year and MilDef reported organic order intake growth of 58%.