Re: What's the point of this?
Mr codejunky
For decades, until about 1994, the Bundeswehr and Luftwaffe were limited to the defense at its borders, exclusively. Germany would support the coalition financially in the first Gulf war, for example.
Since, the situation has changed, slightly - they are now allowed to "defend" Germany even outside of their borders. Besides, why do you take the most peaceful army in the EU, apart from Austria ?
France, for example, has quite a substantial airforce.
Maybe you read into the "Der Spiegel" article to single out the Luftwaffe, which claimed that less than a dozen aircraft were combat ready due to a mechanical problem plaguing the Eurofighters; the Luftwaffe did not wish to comment on the number of combat ready fighters. You forget that the Luftwaffe also has a fleet of Tornados. Also, although the mechanical troubles are real, the numbers appear to be press exaggeration, they damn well know the Luftwaffe cannot say how many fighters are combat ready. The Luftwaffe just commented that there were more combat-ready Eurofighter aircraft now than what was divulged to parliament last year (so 50+).
And Dr_N quite rightly pointed out the fact that the RAF cannot even repair its own aircraft and needs cooperation from Turkey, of all NATO allies, Turkey ???? So, as a Brit, one first needs to sweep ones doorstep before one comments on the neighbour's ... assuming our codejunky is a Brit, of course, deepest apologies if you are not, I did not mean to insult.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
