Update: The Military Today

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Note: This “Military” page is a supplement to Point 48 (“The military”) on page 88 of The German Way, not the original text of the book.
 

NATO’s MiG-29 jet fighters

A trivia question: Which NATO nation is the only one to have Russian MiG-29s in its air force today?

The answer may surprise anyone who has not been keeping up with the rapid changes of the post-Cold-War era. Of the 1,250 MiG-29 fighter jets that the former Soviet Union produced, NATO ally Germany currently has 24 in its air force. After German reunification in 1991, the Germans decided to keep two dozen of the Soviet-built aircraft that it had inherited from its formerly communist eastern half. The 24 MiG-29s are now painted Luftwaffe gray and are part of the German air force's Fighter Wing 73, located at Laage Air Base under the command of Colonel Reinhard Mack. No other Western air force even has one MiG-29, and the German MiG pilots have become much sought-after sparring partners for Western air forces. (Note: This information was current in 1998.)

The powerful MiGs, delivered to East Germany in the late 1980s, now offer Western pilots a close-up and personal view of what used to be a dreaded enemy weapon. They now supplement the F-4 Phantom jets that make up the bulk of Germany's fighter force. Most of the Russian plane's production went to the Soviet air force and to former Eastern Block nations such as Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. Russia still has almost 500 MiG-29s in its arsenal. Other countries with MiG-29s include Iran and Iraq, Croatia, North Korea, India, Syria, Slovakia and several former Soviet republics.

Germany's experience with the Russian fighters has been enlightening. The MiG-29 has a high-tech, laser-linked "sight-and-shoot" helmet that allows a pilot to shoot down a target aircraft by just staring at it for two seconds. Such a sight does not exist in the Western weapons arsenal. On the other hand, the Germans have had problems getting MiG parts and supplies in a timely manner from the only source, the Russian arms monopoly known as Rosvooruzheniye. President Boris Yeltsin has recently put pressure on the arms export agency to improve its service. He knows that Russia can use the cash that the MiGs produce.

Hardware has not been the only problem for the Luftwaffe. The mix of Western and Soviet-trained crews also pointed out differences in training. The West German pilots claim it has taken six years to bring the former East German pilots up to Western standards.

However, the MiG-29 can do things most Western fighter jets cannot. For example, it can accelerate in a turn much tighter than its Western counterparts -- the only real limit being the point at which the pilot would black out. But this advantage is lost when U.S. jets don't even need to get within visual range to shoot down a MiG or any other enemy warplane. Phantoms and other Western aircraft have long-range radar and missiles that nullify any MiG maneuvering advantage. Moreover, reflecting a very different military mind-set, the MiG was designed to eliminate pilot initiative, going so far as to make it impossible for a pilot to fire a missile without a special electronic command from the ground.

Luftwaffe experts contend that the Russian planes could be used very effectively by NATO — with some modifications. A $500,000 electronic retrofit, far cheaper than buying new warplanes, could turn the MiG-29s into state-of-the-art air weapons for possible new NATO member countries like Poland and Hungary that already have MiGs. Most of the objections are political. U.S. aircraft makers, for instance, don't like the idea of losing potential sales of new planes to the former East Block. Most observers see less of a problem with the planes and more of a problem in bringing the pilots from the other side of the old Iron Curtain up to NATO training levels.

The German experience seems to prove that a mix of Soviet and U.S. planes is at least possible.

Note:Based on an article by Joseph Fitchett in the Aug. 22, 1997 International Herald Tribune.

The Austrian Bundesheer (army)

The following information is an excerpt from the Austrian Bundesheer Web site, which also has an English-language Austrian Armed Forces Facts page. If you would like the full English text, or you want to see the Austrian army site, click on the above links. Most of this well-designed site is in German, with links for the Austrian army, navy and air force. (More links below.)

Facts about Austria’s Armed Forces [unedited from the original British English]

STRUCTURE: The Federal President is the C-in-C of the Austrian Armed Forces. The Minister of Defence exercises command and control and is advised by the Inspector General. Subordinate to the Minister and his military staff are the 3 Corps, the provincial military command of Vienna and the air and air defence units organized in a division-size unit.

Total active manpower: 52,000 (includes about 20,000 conscripts), plus 100,000 first-line reserve and 300,000 general reserve.

CONSCRIPTION: 7 months recruit training; 30 days reservist refresher training during 10 years (or 8 months training, no refresher training); 60-90 days additional for officers, NCOs and specialists.

DEFENCE BUDGET: ATS 20.46 billion (USD 2.06 billion), 0.90% of GDP and 2.80% of central government budget (1995). NB: The moving forward to a more flexible and mobile border defence led to a major reorganisation in the course of which the mobilization strength has been reduced from 200,000 to 120,000. The structure of the operational forces of the army comprises now 3 mechanised and 12 infantry brigades. The infantry training organization is formed by regimental-size units that are upgraded up to infantry brigades on mobilization, while the mechanised units have brigade structure both in peace time and on mobilization. Up to some 15,000 troops within the active force are permanently maintained at a training standard allowing their immediate operational deployment without mobilization for limited missions only. Some 2,500 troops are prepared to be ready as "on-call forces" for international commitments.

LAND FORCES

PERSONNEL: 52,000 active (incl. ca. 20,000 conscripts and incl. the Air Force); 120,000 mobilized + 20% reserve

COMMAND STRUCTURE (ACTIVE):

Corps I (southeast): 1 engineer battalion, 1 recce regiment, 1 artillery regiment; 3 provincial commands with 6 infantry regiments.

Corps II (west): 1 engineer battalion, 1 recce regiment, 1 artillery regiment; 3 provincial commands with 4 infantry regiments.

Corps III (northeast): 3rd, 4th and 9th MechInfBde (each with 1 tank, 1 MechInf and 1 SP artillery battalion), 1 engineer battalion, 1 recce battalion, 1 artillery regiment; 2 provincial commands with 2 infantry regiments.

Provincial Command (VIENNA): with 1 infantry regiment and 1 infantry guard battalion.

Air Force Division: 7 regiments

The 9 provincial commands have peacetime training, territorial and maintenance roles; on mobilization, they equate to territorial HQs at divisional level.

[For more, see Austrian Armed Forces Facts]