NATO air drills show allies ready to defend every centimetre: Scholz

Major NATO air manoeuvres in Europe demonstrate the strength and unity of Germany and its allies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday while visiting a German air base taking part in the operation, reported dpa.

The exercises should make clear to everyone "that we are ready to defend every centimetre of our territory," the German chancellor said on Friday when visiting the Jagel air base in northern Germany, about 45 kilometres from the Danish border.

The Air Defender 2023 exercises, which involve 10,000 soldiers and 250 aircraft from 25 countries, is the largest air drill in NATO history. It began on Monday and is expected to last until June 23.

The drills simulate NATO's response to an attack by a fictitious eastern alliance on the German Baltic Sea port of Rostock.

Scholz climbed into the cockpit of a German Eurofighter jet during his visit to the Jagel air base on Friday. The chancellor was accompanied by Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, the head of Germany's air force.

Scholz said close cooperation within NATO sends a "great message" in these times, referring to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. He said the exercises would also highlight areas for improves cooperation between allied militaries.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that Air Defender 2023 had been a success so far, with no incidents and virtually no disruption to civilian air traffic.

Some experts had expected significant delays in civil flights with so many military aircraft in the skies.