The sun is almost setting when the first German Eurofighter lands at Paya Lebar air base in Singapore around 7 p.m. local time.

Behind it, a small part of the high-rise settlements of the densely populated Southeast Asian metropolis can be seen in the distance, where a few construction cranes are also towering.

Otherwise, a green belt of tropical trees stretches along the runway.

The fighter plane first touches down with the rear wheels, so that the pencil-pointed front part points like an arrow in the sky.

Till Fähnders

Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.

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The second Eurofighter follows a minute later, three more land a little later every minute.

They drive to another part of the airbase and take their parking position opposite some British Eurofighters.

Air Force Inspector Ingo Gerhartz stands at the aircraft with his legs apart and greets the first pilot with a handshake.

A little later, the leader of the transfer, Commodore Gordon Schnitger, who leads Squadron 74 in Neuburg an der Donau, stands up in front of his boss: "I'll report the completion of reaching the Indo-Pacific region within 24 hours."

The Air Force has thus completed the first part of its first-ever transfer to this part of the world.

It even went faster than planned, in just over 20 hours.

The Air Force calls the entire Indo-Pacific deployment “Rapid Pacific 2022”.

Small drop of bitterness: A Eurofighter had to stay behind in the United Arab Emirates due to hydraulic problems.

It depends on the big tanker plane

The inspector seems satisfied that he can otherwise receive the fleet safely in Singapore.

In addition to Eurofighters, which took off from Neuburg Air Base at 4:39 p.m. the previous day, the fleet also includes three A 330 tanker aircraft belonging to a multinational contingent stationed in Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Only since this tanker plane has existed has such a long deployment been conceivable at all.

There are also four A 400 M transport aircraft.

"As a first summary, I would say: We are here, we did it in 24 hours," Gerhartz told the German press representatives on site.

He hopes to be able to receive the sixth Eurofighter in Australia by Monday, when Germany will take part in the "Pitch Black" exercise there with its own aircraft for the first time.

So it remains exciting for now.

The journalists are initially more interested in two other questions: First, whether it is advisable to send fighter jets thousands of kilometers away in view of the war in Europe.

Currently, Germany also has a leadership position in securing NATO's eastern border in the Baltic States and also continues to fly over Romania and Poland.

The air force chief has a formula ready as an answer: It is “not an either/or, but a both/and”.

The Air Force is now able to do both at the same time, says Gerhartz.

A few years ago that would not have been possible.

"We are thus signaling the high level of operational readiness of the Air Force." But the mission on NATO's eastern border naturally has "top priority".