That’s why Swiss fighter jets circle over Northern England

Suddenly you don’t understand your own words anymore. It is loud as the F/A-18 fighter jets thunder through the dark night above Leeming Airbase, very loud. Here in the north of England, the Swiss Air Force trains the sky police in the pitch black night, low level flights up to 1500 meters or tactical air defense.

A total of 55 pilots and 120 ground crew members traveled to Great Britain for four weeks, taking with them not only ten F/A-18s, but also dozens of containers of material. They have set up their little “Swiss village” on the sprawling military base.

Staying abroad is crucial for the Luftwaffe

The sky above Leeming is cloudy. An icy wind is blowing over the airport. Typical English weather.

The training camp in Northern England called Yorknite is important for the fighter pilots. The Swiss Air Force completes about half of its annual low-level night and flight training here. The reason for this is the noise: Mr. and Mrs. Schweizer don’t like it at all when fighter jets fly low over their house at night.

In Switzerland, night flights are therefore only possible in the winter months from October to March, exactly one evening a week, from around 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the latest. Noise protection regulations no longer allow this. Add to that the busy civil air traffic and height and speed restrictions.

“Four hours a week is not enough,” says Air Force Commander Peter Merz (54). In Switzerland, the Air Force cannot train its night and flight training to international standards. The pilots fly at night only half as often as those in neighboring countries. “That’s why the training weeks in the north of England are crucial for us. We can train here every night.”

This is made possible by an agreement with Great Britain. After training in Norway and Scotland, the Swiss pilots have been flying from Leeming since 2019. The 2,800 villagers are also not enthusiastic about the constant aircraft noise. In Great Britain, however, much less restrictive rules apply.

The British praise the Swiss for the clover

The Royal Air Force base is a heavily guarded military restricted area. World War II infrastructure is starting to show its age. Division manager Merz also noticed this when he visited the sanitary facilities.

Nevertheless, the base offers ideal conditions that are hard to find in Switzerland: spacious training areas at a convenient distance above the North Sea and sparsely populated areas. Pilots can fly much lower here.

“The Swiss pilots are very professional,” said Air Base Commander Gareth Prendergast. He praises his guests in the highest tones. In addition to the Swiss, the Qatar Air Force also trains here. “For us, the collaboration is very logical. We can help each other.” And if Switzerland also has the ordered American F-35 fighter jets, the cooperation will be even more effective.

The British made their infrastructure available to the Swiss Air Force free of charge. This means that the costs do not exceed those of the flight service in Switzerland. In return, British soldiers can train in the Swiss Alps. There is also cooperation in the cyber field.

“Then politicians can throw neutrality overboard”

In terms of neutrality policy, Air Force Commander Merz does not hesitate. “We only do exercises here. No military secrets are shared,” he clarifies. The Swiss fighter jets did not even carry live weapons. “We depend on the protection of the British.”

However, the war in Ukraine has revived discussions of Swiss neutrality. The SVP’s neutrality initiative could make such stays abroad more difficult for the military in the future. Merz does not express himself politically, but at the same time says: “We must be able to cooperate militarily. Should Switzerland be attacked, politicians can jettison neutrality.”

Yorknite commander Cyril Johner also emphasizes that night flight is becoming increasingly important for modern armies. Key operations usually take place at night. The Swiss army must be able to defend the country. That’s what the federal constitution says. “We are here to protect Switzerland,” he says. “Our pilots must therefore also be given the opportunity to train the necessary skills.”

The last words are hard to understand. Another low-flying F/A-18 rumbles over the military base.