Germany sends tornadoes to NATO's nuclear weapons exercise

In the coming days, the German Air Force will take part in a NATO maneuver with several fighter aircraft to defend the alliance's territory with nuclear weapons. A spokesperson said three Tornados from Air Force Tactical Squadron 33 will be deployed to Aviano Air Base in northern Italy for the exercise, dubbed “Steadfast Noon.”

The machines are normally stationed at the Büchel base in Rhineland-Palatinate. According to officially unconfirmed information, US nuclear weapons are stored there, which in an emergency could also be dropped by German fighter-bombers using NATO's concept of so-called nuclear sharing. Other storage locations for US nuclear weapons in Europe are bases in countries such as Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.