Luftwaffe Down Under: German Air Force Training with RNZAF in Historic Joint Exercise
Woodbourne, New Zealand – November 14, 2025 – For the first time in 80 years, the “Luftwaffe” – the German Air Force – has made a significant operational presence in New Zealand, with low-flying military aircraft becoming a common sight across the country over the past week. A large contingent of German military personnel and their advanced aircraft have set up base at Woodbourne, near Blenheim, for a historic joint training exercise with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), named Tūhono Rangi.
This intensive training exercise marks a deepening partnership between the two nations’ defence forces, focusing on enhancing interoperability and shared capabilities for future international operations.
Advanced Aircraft and Unique Training Opportunities
The German Air Force has deployed an impressive fleet for Tūhono Rangi, including:
- Two A400M Atlas transport planes from the Air Transport Wing 62.
- An Airbus A330 and an A321 from the Special Mission Wing.
Colonel Markus Knoll, piloting one of the Airbus A400 aircraft, described the six-day journey from Germany, which traversed Europe, the United States, and Fiji, as a “dream come true” for a pilot. Upon arrival in New Zealand, the unique airspace has allowed the German crews to train in conditions not available in their home country.
“In Blenheim, we’ve got, from our point of view, a very short runway, so we have to take care to do some short field landings,” Colonel Knoll explained. “We do some low-level flying that’s unique, we can go down to 300 feet (91m) AGL (above ground level), we’re not allowed to do this in Germany, only 500 feet (152m) AGL.”
Developing Interoperability for Global Operations
The German forces are working closely with the RNZAF’s Combat Support Squadron (CSS) from Base Ohakea. Colonel Knoll emphasized the critical goal of developing interoperability, enabling the two air forces to seamlessly integrate and operate together in future missions.
Over the next week, the joint teams will conduct extensive training alongside the New Zealand Army at Waiouru, focusing on crucial skills such as dropping containers of kit and supplies in various tactical locations. This training directly translates to real-world humanitarian and military operations. “We’ve done these airdrops over the Gaza Strip for humanitarian relief,” Knoll stated, highlighting the practical application of their training to “use our newest software in the A400 so we can do some automatic drops.”
A Growing Partnership
This is not the first time German military aircraft have visited New Zealand. The German Air Force made its inaugural operational visit to Base Ohakea last year as part of the “Pacific Skies” exercise, which also saw Spanish military aircraft in New Zealand airspace for the first time. Colonel Knoll views that initial engagement as the foundation of a growing partnership.
“We learn a lot from each other,” he said. “In the military world nowadays you’re never ever on your own, you’re always in a ‘coalition of the willing’ or NATO, together with partners. New Zealand is one of the partners and if we train together, if you get used to each other, if our tactics fit with the others – that’s great, we are stronger together.”
RNZAF’s Perspective: Invaluable Experience
Operation squadron leader Matt Williams, who led the RNZAF’s deployment from Ohakea to Woodbourne, underscored the invaluable experience gained from working with aircraft like the A400. RNZAF pilots are being given the unique opportunity to sit in the cockpit alongside their German counterparts, gaining insights into their systems and processes, while simultaneously helping the German crews adapt to New Zealand’s distinct flying environment.
Approximately 60 RNZAF personnel are supporting the mission, including security forces, logistics specialists, and air movements teams. Flight Lieutenant Shane Leaming, a security forces officer, expressed the sentiment of many: “New Zealand is very far away from the centre of the world where the big militaries are… so it’s very cool when a detachment of them comes all the way to New Zealand just to fly in our airspace and work with us.”
Corporal Ezra Te Awe Awe, a logistics specialist, highlighted the hands-on experience of marshalling the A400s, an opportunity rarely afforded with domestic aircraft.
The German military aircraft will continue to be visible in New Zealand skies for another week as Exercise Tūhono Rangi concludes, marking a significant chapter in international defence cooperation for New Zealand.
