Axalp Fliegerschießen: experiencing and photographing fighter jets in the Swiss Alps

A rumble echoes through the valley, then a gray Hornet shoots past below you around the rock spur, banks into the turn and fires a short burst from its cannon at the ridge opposite. Only seconds later does the rattle reach you, while the jet is already disappearing in a climb toward Lake Brienz. The Axalp Fliegerschießen (the Swiss Air Force’s aerial gunnery demonstration) is no ordinary air day. You are not standing at a barrier next to the runway but at over 2,200 meters in the middle of the mountains, and the aircraft do not come from above but often from below. Here you will learn where the event comes from, how things stand today, how getting there and the climb work, and how to photograph fighter jets against rock walls and glaciers.

The Axalp Fliegerschießen at a glance

The Fliegerschießen is a flying display by the Swiss Air Force at the Axalp-Ebenfluh mountain firing range above Brienz in the canton of Bern. Fighter jets fire their cannons there at targets located on a ridge and on the slopes of the Axalphorn and Wildgärst. Spectators watch from zones at around 2,200 to 2,250 meters, about a kilometer west of the target area. Because live rounds are fired and the terrain is high alpine, there is nothing comparable in Europe that is open to the public.

From mountain exercise to public show

The roots reach back to the Second World War. During a mountain exercise in July 1942, General Henri Guisan found that bomb drops in the mountains were too imprecise. The Air Force needed a place where it could train ground attack in alpine terrain. Training began at the Axalp-Ebenfluh on October 7, 1942.

After the war the firing range stayed in operation, and aircraft generations changed with it. In 1949 the de Havilland Vampire brought the first jet, followed by the Venom, Hawker Hunter, Mirage and Northrop F-5 Tiger. The Hunters were still dropping bombs and firing rockets until 1994. With their retirement the classic ground attack mission ended in the Swiss Air Force, and what remained on the Axalp was mainly the use of the cannon.

For a long time the exercise was for invited guests only. From 1965 there was a press day for the military and politicians, and toward the end of the 1980s more and more onlookers came. In 1999 the event became freely accessible, and spectator numbers rose to several thousand per day. By comparison: in a 2009 report, locals recalled times with only about 300 visitors.

Cancellations are part of the history

Hardly any air day has been cancelled as often as this one. Reasons were accidents (2001 and 2016), storm damage in the Bernese Oberland (2011), bad weather (including 2015), the big Air14 airshow in Payerne (2014), cracks on F/A-18 aircraft (2019) and the pandemic (2020). For you that means: even when a date is set, a visit is never guaranteed.

What is shown at the Axalp

The program varied from year to year but followed a recognizable pattern. The display started in the early afternoon and lasted about an hour and a half. A commentator narrated the action over loudspeakers.

• F/A-18 Hornet: It is the centerpiece and lately the only type that fired its cannon. The jets approach the target, fire a short burst and pull away steeply. You will find a profile at the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet.
• F-5E Tiger: Until 2018 the Tiger also fired its cannon. After that it was mostly seen in Patrouille Suisse colors.
• Helicopters: Cougar transport helicopters demonstrated operational scenarios and brought official guests up the mountain. The type is described in the entry on the Airbus H215 / AS532 Cougar.
• Solo displays: Among others, the Pilatus PC-21, the trainer of Swiss jet pilots, flew.
• Parachute reconnaissance troops: Jumpers from Parachute Reconnaissance Company 17 landed in the spectator area.
• Air policing: Since the mid-2010s the Air Force showed how it intercepts and escorts an aircraft in airspace.
• Patrouille Suisse: Traditionally the jet aerobatic team closed the show. Everything about the team and the decided end of the Tiger at the end of 2027 is in the article on the Patrouille Suisse.

There were guest appearances too: in 2006 two French Mirage F1CR took part, and in 2012 the Saab Gripen was seen at the Axalp. How to tell the various fighter jets apart in the air is explained in the guide Recognizing fighter jets in Europe.

The future depends on the type change

The Swiss Air Force is in the middle of a transition. The Tigers will be retired at the end of 2027, and the Hornet will be gradually replaced by the F-35 Lightning II. What role the Axalp will play in this setting, the army had not communicated bindingly as of October 2026. You will find plenty of speculation online about a comeback with new equipment – none of it is solid.

Getting there and the climb

The Axalp is a small vacation and winter sports area above the south shore of Lake Brienz. The narrow mountain road up there was not built for thousands of cars. In the past there were accordingly traffic jams down to the valley. Since 2017, access has therefore followed a fixed concept that would likely be repeated in a similar form if the event returns – the army publishes the details with the date each time.

The climb is a serious mountain hike. You move on mountain paths up to over 2,200 meters, in October snow can already be on the ground there, and the weather changes quickly. If it worsens, the display is called off with no replacement – and you still face the descent. Official guests, by the way, arrived by helicopter, up to 600 people at one edition.

Gear: mountain hike meets photo day

At the Axalp you combine two packing lists: that of a high-mountain autumn hike and that of an airshow day. The general airshow day checklist is a good starting point, and on the mountain a few items get added.

Area	What you need	Why
Footwear	ankle-high hiking boots with tread	steep paths, often wet or icy in autumn
Clothing	layers, hat, gloves, rain jacket	hours of waiting in wind and cold at over 2,200 m
Protection	sunglasses, sunscreen	strong UV radiation at altitude, reflection from snow
Hearing	earmuff-style hearing protection or good earplugs	jets and cannon fire in the narrow valley are extremely loud
Food	drinks, snacks	long waits, limited offering on the mountain
Camera	telephoto zoom 100–400 or 150–600 mm, wide-angle or standard zoom	detail shots of the jets plus landscape images
Power	spare batteries, stored warm	cold drains batteries noticeably faster
Luggage	comfortable backpack instead of camera bag	you carry everything uphill for several hours

Hearing deserves a closer look of its own: the valley throws the sound back, and the rattle of the cannon hits you unexpectedly. Background is in the article Aircraft noise and your hearing. For optics, the comparisons of the 100–400 mm telephoto zooms and the 150–600 mm lenses help. A suitable carrying solution for long lenses is covered in Camera backpack for plane spotting.

How to photograph fighter jets against a mountain backdrop

What makes the Axalp special is the perspective. On a normal air day you almost always see the jets from below against the sky. Here they fly through a valley, along rock walls and often below your position. That changes how you should shoot.

Short shutter speeds and fast autofocus

Fighter jets at low level are fast and change direction abruptly. For sharp images you need short exposure times of around 1/1600 second or shorter. It is best to set continuous autofocus with subject tracking already down in the valley. Which modes work best for aircraft is explained in the article Autofocus for aircraft. For helicopters and the PC-21 the opposite applies: the shortest time freezes the rotor or propeller, which looks unnatural. More under Photographing propellers.

The background is the subject

A jet against blue sky looks the same everywhere. A jet against a rock wall, a snowy summit or above the turquoise Lake Brienz is unmistakably Axalp. Especially when the aircraft fly below you, it pays to work with a medium focal length and deliberately include landscape in the frame. Against dark rock, though, the autofocus has more trouble than against the sky – bursts and some rejects are normal.

Catching the muzzle flash

A burst of fire lasts only a moment. If you want to capture it, follow the jet on approach and shoot in bursts before it fires. The targets are on the ridge and the slopes opposite, so you can see where the jets are heading. Impacts and dust plumes on the rock make subjects of their own. With burst shooting the card fills up fast: tips on memory cards for burst shooting and on batch editing afterward help.

Light and weather

The display fell on the early afternoon in October each time. The sun is then already quite low in the south to southwest, and depending on the spectator zone, valley sides are already in shadow. Clouds that hold in the valley or drift over the ridge can make for dramatic images but also end the display quickly. General tips on light, heat haze and display programs are under Photographing airshows.

Rules and consideration at the firing range

At the Axalp the instructions of the army and the marshals apply. Spectator zones are fenced off because live rounds are fired – anyone who leaves them endangers themselves and others. Drones have no place at a military event with jets at low level; what applies in Switzerland in general is in Flying a drone in Switzerland. General rules on photography around the military and in Switzerland can be found in the articles on the legal situation for plane spotting in Switzerland and on photographing at military airfields.

Think of the residents too: for the small village of Axalp and for Brienz the event is economically interesting, but the aircraft noise has repeatedly drawn criticism. Taking your trash with you, staying on the paths and not crossing pastures helps keep spotters welcome in the region.

Alternatives while the Axalp is on hold

Without the Fliegerschießen you do not have to do without Swiss military aviation.

• Military airfields: The Hornet squadrons are based at Meiringen and Payerne. Meiringen sits at the east end of Lake Brienz, very close to the Axalp, and offers jets against a mountain backdrop in everyday operations too. Note local flying breaks and rules there.
• Patrouille Suisse: Until the end of 2027 the team still performs with the Tigers. The Air Force publishes dates per season, more in the article on the Patrouille Suisse. An overview of other teams is under Europe’s aerobatic teams.
• Museums: The Swiss Air Force Museum Dübendorf (Flieger-Flab-Museum) shows many types that once flew at the Axalp. Photo tips on site are in the spot entry Flieger Flab Museum at Dübendorf airfield. You can experience historic jets in flight at the Altenrhein aviation museum, and transport history at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.
• Airshows abroad: You will find large events with strong military participation in the overview Airshows in Europe and at the NATO Tiger Meet.

If you want to follow military aircraft in everyday operations, you will find pointers in the article Tracking military aircraft online.

Conclusion

The Axalp Fliegerschießen has been a must-see for military fans for decades: live fire, jets below you in the valley and a backdrop that no airfield can offer. In return the event demands effort – shuttle, climb, cold and the constant risk of a weather cancellation. As of October 2026 the display is suspended, and nobody can credibly say whether it will return with the F-35 and the Air Force’s new structure. Keep an eye on the army’s announcements and use the time in between for Meiringen, Payerne, the last Tiger appearances and the Swiss museums.