‘Really a clere noise’: Great NATO exercise attracts aircraft enthusiasts, antimilituism protesters and defense recruiters

If an F-35 leaves, you don’t see that alone. You hear the huge noise, feel the ground shaking and smell the kerosene. Every time Leeuwarden is ringing the bell, a fighter jet rises again this Monday afternoon. Dozens of cameras then shoot up. Hundreds of aircraft spotters from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom came to the ‘Spotterbult’ at the Frisian Marsum on Monday.

From March 31 to April 11, the international exercise Ramstein Flag takes place at Leeuwarden Air Base. In Leeuwarden the Frisian Flag exercise is held every year, this time NATO has taken over the exercise. Eighteen NATO countries together practice NATO’s response if one of the Member States is attacked. About a hundred aircraft participate.

For the Ministry of Defense, it is an opportunity to « train realistically and to coordinate tactics with our allies, » says a spokesperson. « The situation in the world shows how important it is for our people to be well trained and committed. » Especially in the evenings are flown in the evening, because « performing in darkness is the most realistic ». That happens from half past four in the afternoon until half past eleven in the evening.

Saturday, April 5, opponents of the exercise are organizing a protest march. They walk from the center of Leeuwarden to the airbase. « We demonstrate for humanity and against militarism. This exercise leads to huge greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to increasing the threat of war in Europe and in the world, » writes the action group « No room for defense » on Instagram. The group is a partnership of Socialists Noord, Rood Leeuwarden, Extinction Rebellion Fryslân, Vliegop!, Friesland for Palestine and CJB Fryslân.

Binoculars

Others came to Friesland for the planes. Long before the first fighter jets take off on Monday afternoon, the first spotters are already there, binoculars in hand, sound protectors to sit on the neck, camping chair to sit on and kicks to get up and be able to photograph well. A pasture before the Spotterbult has been made available as a parking area – traffic controllers are at the entrance. Local residents and the adjacent garden center are happy with it: this is not the village and the parking area of ​​the garden center full of cars.

A snack stall on the site is ready to sell fries to visitors. Defense is present with a truck where patches of the exercise are sold and a trailer in which interested parties can take a look. There is also a recruiter ready. « Step in and discover what you can do at Defense, » says the bus.

In front of the fence at the airport, a soldier of the German Air Force sells patches from other exercises from a bicycle with a cart behind it. Under the fence he pushes the patches to the spotters. They move a tenner back.

Jayden des Vignes (13) already wears various patches of other exercises on his backpack. He also buys one of this exercise. With a large camera he is ready on the bump. He wants to become an F-35 pilot and if that fails, maintenance engineer of the device. « I like to spot aircraft and today fighter jets I have never seen here. There are now German planes ready, which I recognize by the tail. »

He and his mother Nienke (38) and brother Jonathan (11) and the dog came to Friesland from Deventer. « I heard for weeks that he wanted to go to the exercise, » says his mother. « He is lucky, today there is a short -class schedule at school so we can go here. Jayden knows exactly which fighter jets are there and what time they come. »

Score songs

Among other things, the United States, Germany, Greece and Sweden participate in the exercise. Many aircraft spotters have a printed list in hand, on which they check off which aircraft they have seen. « For many people it is about scoring songs. Here come planes that you don’t see often, such as Greek F-16s, » says Mark Broersma (40). He is wearing a camouflage jacket.

Broersma looks together with Ramon Faber (25), who lives close to the base. They know each other from the aircraft spotlights. They both have a scanner in hand, with which they can follow the communication between the pilots and the control tower.

They already photographed most planes last week. Faber and Broersma regularly look at the base, but today is different. « I often stand here on my own, but now it is fighting for a place, » says Faber. « Absolutely powerful, » he thinks « To be able to show what you have in your house today. If you stand here, you feel more powerful. These are all NATO partners who work together. »

The annual exercise of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, which is normally called Frisian Flag, is being organized for NATO this year.

Photos Siese Veenstra

Rust

Faber hears the sound of the rising and landing planes from his house, but he does not suffer from it. Local residents of the airbase are somewhat used to, says Geert Verf van Dorpsbelang Marsum. But he mentions the exercise that is now taking place. On Tuesday morning, the day after the start, paint had contact with parents with young children from the village. « The children sleep badly, » he says on the phone. Paint itself did not come asleep either. « That only succeeds when all planes have landed again. The last one arrived on Monday at 11.40 pm. »

Paint has been living in Marsum for almost his entire life, in 1959 he moved there with his parents as a three -year -old. He grew up with the airbase. But he saw up against this exercise. « It is really a lacquer noise. The sound penetrates for a long time, you feel the vibrations. The decibel meter at the airport indicated 110 Decibel on Monday. In the house it came to 70 Decibel. »

Residents of Marsum understand the importance of the exercise, emphasizes Verf. « That is beyond dispute. But we want to prevent it from going more often. We want the rising and countries to be better spread over airports in Europe. Fortunately, that happens, but there are rising and countries for this exercise many aircraft from Leeuwarden. Monday 4 to eleven in the evening arrived and 26 afterwards. »

The village adapts to the exercise. The Bootcamp training sessions outside, in which about eighty inhabitants are participating. The first fighter jets fly from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm. After that, it is flown from 9 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. In the time in between there is sports outside. For the pupils of the football club in the village of Cornjum, on the other side of the base, it became too late, says Verf. Those neighborhoods to the fields of the village of Hallum. Paint is « happy when the weather is over. »

Noise

The Leeuwarder Courant At the end of February that after Ramstein Flag there can hardly be flown from Leeuwarden Air Base, because a large part of the available sound space merges with the exercise. State Secretary Gijs Tuinman (Defense, BBB) also says in an answer to parliamentary questions that « a large exercise like Ramstein Flag, which also flows in the evening has a large share in the noise load. Defense Plant and Spreads the exercises and training sessions within the year. »

Defense wants to expand the number of fighter aircraft activities in the Netherlands. In the National Room for Defense program, it indicates that it will look for extra space for the Air Force. There is now room for 5200 sorties – military flights with one start and one landing – of which 2700 from Leeuwarden. Defense wants to expand the number of sortions with another 2300. For this, Lelystad Airport, Groningen Airport Eelde, Twente Airport, De Peel Air Base and Woensdrecht Air Base are still in the picture – Leeuwarden Air Base is no longer seen as a preference, to the relief of the inhabitants. State Secretary Tuinman wants to further inform the House of Representatives about the plans at the end of May.

On Monday evening Geert Verft also went to have a look at the Spotter bump. « You have to know all sides of the story. Here are many enthusiasts who like it. It is a huge piece of power, those rising fighter jets. I understand that people look at it. But to live under it, that is a buddy too much. »

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