Airforces

he F/A-18 is hard to spot. It first emerges

as a shadow moving rapidly over the

mountains. The fighter quickly sneaks

in, pops up, turns in on the target and levels

out. A moment later a short stream of smoke is

seen leaving the gun muzzle in the nose before

the remarkable sound of the M61A1 Vulcan six-

barrel cannon is heard. By the time the pilot

pulls up and performs evasive manoeuvres

to hide again in the terrain, the smoke has

cleared from the target. At the Axalp live-fire

demonstration such action can be witnessed

from a distance of only a few hundred metres.

Axalp attracts thousands of visitors who

climb up the mountain over a two-day period.

After several cancellations in recent years, the

usually annual event once again took place from

October 11 to 12. Axalp 2017 was blessed

with glorious sunshine and the one to two-hour

hike from the cableway station up to one of

the three spectator areas wasn’t difficult. After

spending the afternoon at summer temperatures

high in the mountains, many visitors descended

back into the valley sunburnt but smiling.

The Ebenfluh gunnery range is located at

7,365ft (2,244m) in the northern part of the

Swiss Alps. One of its benefits is proximity

to the Alpine air base at Meiringen, home of

Fliegerstaffel 11 ‘Tigers’. From the range, you

can hear Hornets taking off in the valley below

and within minutes the pilots begin their practice

runs. This saves precious flying time that can

be better used to hone air-to-ground skills.

The Swiss Air Force’s air power demonstration

is often referred to as an ‘airshow’. Although

it features aircraft and helicopters flying in

front of the general public, it is essentially a

showcase for aircrew competencies, where

pilots manoeuvre in a demanding, mountainous

environment while performing live air-to-

ground gunnery. Air force pilots prepare

meticulously for Axalp, before flying the

so-called ‘parcours’ (course) to the target, which

involves a pattern in the shape of a cloverleaf.

Training syllabus

New pilots begin the offensive phase of their

syllabus with a theoretical introduction from

the chief of the air-to-ground department.

This normally takes place during their second

year on the F/A-18, at which point they’ve

amassed around 200 hours on the type.

Every pilot then has to prove themselves in

the simulator, where the exact pattern of the

parcours is flown in a synthetic environment.

The first flights up to the Ebenfluh range are

then performed in a two-seat F/A-18D, with an

instructor in the back. Once a pilot has passed

these instruction flights, they will be cleared to

perform three more flights in a single-seater as

Alpine

gunsmoke

The Swiss Air Force’s latest Axalp air power demonstration gave spectators a unique

chance to observe air-to-ground gunnery by F/A-18s and F-5Es at close quarters.

Dr Andreas Zeitler witnessed it and spoke to some of the pilots that took part.

T

42 // JANUARY 2018 #358 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

Axalp 2017