Bundeswehr Open Day and Luftwaffe open days: what spotters can expect

Normally you get only as far as the fence at an air base, and sometimes not even that. Once a year it’s different. On the Bundeswehr Open Day (Tag der Bundeswehr), barracks, naval bases and airfields open their gates at the same time. If an air base is on the list, you suddenly stand next to a Eurofighter, A400M or CH-53, can look into cockpits and, with some luck, watch displays over the runway. This guide explains how the day works, which airfields have taken part so far and how to plan it as a spotter.

Bundeswehr Open Day: the short answer

The Bundeswehr Open Day is a nationwide open house of the German armed forces that has existed since 2015. It usually takes place on a Saturday in June, at several locations across Germany at the same time. Which locations those are changes every year. For spotters the day is worthwhile above all when an air base is taking part. There you find aircraft and helicopters on the ground, often displays in the air too, and a look at areas that are otherwise closed off.

The first Bundeswehr Open Day took place on June 13, 2015, on the occasion of the Bundeswehr’s 60th anniversary. In 2020 and 2021 there were only digital formats because of the pandemic. In 2022, 16 locations were planned, but in the end the event took place only in Warendorf, with around 15,000 guests. Since then interest has grown considerably. According to the Bundeswehr, more than 280,000 visitors came in 2025 and around 340,000 in 2026 at ten locations.

Which air bases have taken part so far

The locations are reshuffled every year. Army, Navy and Joint Support Service barracks take part just like airfields. For spotters, the years in which one or more air bases are on the list are the interesting ones. The following overview shows the flying locations of past editions, as far as they are publicly documented.

Year	Flying locations	What is typically stationed there
2015	Nörvenich, Manching, Laupheim	Eurofighters in Nörvenich, flight testing in Manching, helicopters in Laupheim
2016	Neuburg an der Donau, Hohn, Bückeburg	Eurofighters in Neuburg, Transall at the time in Hohn, helicopter training in Bückeburg
2017	Faßberg, Penzing	Army Aviation transport helicopters in Faßberg, Transall at the time in Penzing
2018	Holzdorf, Wunstorf	CH-53 in Holzdorf, A400M in Wunstorf
2019	Jagel (Schleswig air base), Nordholz, Faßberg	Tornado and drones in Jagel, Naval Air Wing in Nordholz
2023	Bückeburg	Helicopter training, around 100,000 visitors according to the Bundeswehr
2024	Faßberg, Holzdorf	Army Aviation transport helicopters, Helicopter Wing 64
2025	Jagel, Bückeburg	the Bundeswehr reported especially heavy crowds in Jagel
2026	Laage, Nordholz	Eurofighter training in Laage, maritime patrol aircraft in Nordholz

Some airfields have thus taken part several times. From this, though, you can’t tell when a particular air base will next open. The Bundeswehr distributes the locations by its own criteria.

What the individual bases offer spotters

• Laage near Rostock shares its runway with the civilian Rostock-Laage Airport. Tactical Air Wing 73 “Steinhoff” trains the pilots for the Eurofighter there. On an open day you therefore get to see many Eurofighters at once.
• Jagel in Schleswig-Holstein is the home of Tactical Air Wing 51 “Immelmann”. The base is known for the Panavia Tornado and for unmanned reconnaissance with the Heron TP.
• Nordholz on the North Sea coast hosts Naval Air Wing 3 “Graf Zeppelin”. The Boeing P-8 Poseidon has been arriving there since November 2025 as the new maritime patrol aircraft. Right next door is the museum Aeronauticum Nordholz.
• Wunstorf near Hanover is the home of the Airbus A400M. How to spot the base on normal days is covered in the guide Wunstorf air base.
• Holzdorf on the border between Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg is a helicopter base. Helicopter Wing 64 flies the Sikorsky CH-53 there.
• Bückeburg is the center of helicopter training. Training there is on the H135, the NH90 and the Tiger, among others. You are unlikely to see fighter jets here. Nearby is the Helicopter Museum Bückeburg.

What to expect at an open air base

Each location puts together its own program. A few components almost always turn up at airfields, though.

Static display

The heart of the day for spotters is the static display. Aircraft and helicopters stand on the apron or in front of the hangars, often with open cockpits or cargo ramps. Besides the home fleet, guests from other wings often join, sometimes aircraft of allied air forces too. For you it’s a chance to photograph registrations up close. How to read the identifiers of Bundeswehr aircraft is explained in the article Registrations of Bundeswehr aircraft.

Flying displays and flypasts

At many air bases, displays are part of it: Eurofighters in a climb, helicopters with an external load, transports on a flypast. Such a program is never guaranteed, though. Weather, workload and permits can cancel displays at short notice. A tightly scheduled program like at big airshows with international aerobatic teams is not usually the rule.

Equipment, vehicles and careers

The Bundeswehr Open Day wants to show the armed forces, not just flying. So vehicles, ground equipment, fire services, air traffic control and career counseling info booths are part of the program. If you are interested in the path into the cockpit, you will find background in the article Becoming a Bundeswehr pilot.

How to plan the day as a spotter

An open air base with tens of thousands of visitors is a different game from a quiet morning at the fence. With a bit of planning you can still come away with clean pictures.

For planning the light, the guide Planning the sun position helps. It shows how to read from the runway direction and the time of day whether the sun is behind you or behind the aircraft. On an open day you can’t switch sides at will, but you can decide when to stand at the barrier and when you’d rather walk through the hangars.

Photo tips for the static display and flying displays

On the ground: people, barriers, perspective

The static display has a basic problem: it is built for visitors, not photographers. Barrier tape, ladders, information boards and people are almost always in the frame. A few tricks help:

• Wide angle and proximity: A wide angle from up close shows details like air intakes, landing gear or weapon stations. The people around fade into the background.
• Details instead of the full shot: If the whole aircraft won’t clear, photograph the nose, the tail with the wing crest or the registration. Special liveries on vertical stabilizers in particular are often the best subject.
• Patience at one position: Visitors come in waves. Anyone who waits in one spot usually gets a brief moment with a clear view.
• Get low: From a crouch, heads disappear behind the fuselage and the aircraft looks more imposing.

In the air: fast jets and helicopters

For displays, the same rules apply as at any airshow. The guide Photographing airshows covers this in detail. For jets you need short shutter speeds and an autofocus that tracks the subject well. For helicopters and propeller aircraft, a longer shutter speed pays off so the rotor blades don’t look frozen. How that works is explained in the panning technique. For long bursts you need enough storage, with more in the article Memory cards for burst shooting.

Focal length: on open days the visitor area is often farther from the runway than at classic airshows. A telephoto zoom up to 400 or 500 millimeters makes sense for displays, while a standard zoom is enough for the static display. Which lenses suit spotting is covered in the guide to focal length in plane spotting.

Rules on the grounds

An open air base remains a military installation. The rules are therefore stricter than on a civilian visitors’ hill.

• Entry checks: Expect bag checks. Which items are prohibited is stated in the location’s notes. Pack only what you really need, and entry goes faster.
• Barriers apply: Stay in the areas that are open and follow the staff’s instructions. Safety distances from aircraft and displays are there for a reason.
• Not everything may be photographed: On these days photography is customary in the open areas. Individual areas or systems may be excluded, though. If a sign or a soldier says so, it applies.
• No drones: Drone flights over military installations are prohibited as a matter of principle. That applies on open-house days too.

What is allowed around military airfields on normal days is covered in the article Photographing military airfields: the rules. The background on why flying displays in Germany are now subject to strict requirements is covered in the piece on the Ramstein airshow disaster of 1988.

More open days and alternatives

Besides the Bundeswehr Open Day there are individual events at bases, for example for anniversaries of a wing. The Bundeswehr lists publicly accessible dates in its events calendar, which you can filter by postal code and radius. There are no fixed cycles for these, so a regular look there is worthwhile.

If no air base near you opens in your year, you have alternatives:

• Spotting at the fence: Many air bases can be observed from public paths. The guide Spotting Eurofighters in Germany shows where that works well. How to follow military flights online is explained in Tracking military aircraft online.
• Museums: The Military History Museum Berlin-Gatow Airfield shows the history of the Luftwaffe with many retired aircraft. Other destinations are the Flugausstellung Hermeskeil and the Flugwerft Schleißheim.
• Big airshows: If you want a full flight program, you are better off going to an airshow. The ILA Berlin and the overview Airshows in Europe help with the choice. A special case for fans of colorful tails is the NATO Tiger Meet.

What else you need for a long day on the apron is in the checklist for airshow day.

Conclusion

For spotters, the Bundeswehr Open Day is the rare chance to experience military aviation without a fence. What matters is whether an air base is taking part in your year. Laage, Jagel, Nordholz, Wunstorf, Holzdorf, Faßberg and Bückeburg already have. If so: come early, work through the static display while it is still empty, and plan the displays by the light. The flight program is a bonus, not a guarantee. The registrations and guest aircraft on the ground, on the other hand, are almost certain.