In early October last year, fresh from working on a
NATO exercise off the French Riviera, I took a train to the middle of
Switzerland. I found it hard to explain what I was up to, even to military people.
The best I could do was to say that I was “going to an airshow up an alp”.
Actually, that doesn’t really describe it. The full name of the event I was
attending is Fliegerschiessen Axalp or Air Force Shooting Axalp, held
on a firing range 2240m above sea level in the Swiss Alps east of Interlaken.
Neutral Switzerland maintains a small but
well-trained air force equipped with F/A-18C Hornet and F-5E Tiger II fighters,
mainly used for air defence and air policing. The F-5s are flown by reservist
pilots. The Schweizer Luftwaffe
has limited air-to-ground weapons but emphasizes aerial strafing, which is
fairly old school in this day and age.
The Axalp event is the annual opportunity
to demonstrate to VIPs, the public and potential aggressors their capability to
blast mountain passes accurately with small amounts of lead. If the Austrians
ever choose to invade via Liechtenstein, they had better watch out.
There are several ways to do Axalp, which
usually has two training days and two public days, (although this year one of
the latter was rained off). If you can find a room, stay in the village of
Axalp on an alpine clearing 1.5km above the valley and start the climb to the
viewing point when you like.
Otherwise, you have to get up early.
Wind on through the hills |
Then the hike began, following the crowds
along muddy paths and over loose rocks. The surface is pockmarked by frost
action, so the going is sometimes more jumps from hummock to hummock than
walking. Despite the terrain, I only fell over once.
At about 9AM the first jets appear overhead
for their practice runs. This is why the real enthusiasts start before dawn, so
they can get into the best photo positions before the first aircraft arrive.
Pairs of F-5Es dive for the mountain above. Short crackling burps from their
20mm cannon can be heard as they disappear from view. The hikers plough on
between runs, inspired by the spectacle above. The F-5s are followed by
Hornets, whose M61 rotary cannon makes a different noise; a rattle, a pause and
a viiiiip, leaving a thin white trail
punctuated by smoke puffs. The steepest part of the climb has a gradient of 55
per cent, broken by some permanent metal steps and a guide rope through a
narrow rocky channel.
Now
I can’t claim to be that young any more or ever having been very fit, but with
a few short rests and regular restorative fruit juice and chocolate I made it
to the top without dying. Some other people found it harder going and an
American boy was heard to tell his father he’d rather be at school. It reminded
me of climbs around Arthur’s Pass in the Southern Alps when I was a geography
student at Canterbury many moons ago, but as far as I can recall the Sugarloaf
at Cass didn’t have a tent selling bratwurst and beer at its summit.
Get to da choppa! |
The morning fog over the valley below
eventually burns off, giving an excellent view of the turquoise blue lake below
and Brienz, where I started this morning. All around are jagged peaks, most of
them bare in the early autumn, but there is plenty of snow on the higher
north-facing slopes.
More cheese, anyone? |
The hardy Swiss bring all sorts of picnic
equipment up the alp. Several people set up fondue sets supported by walking
sticks and break out bottles of red wine. Another starts a small log fire. They
probably laugh at those photographers, many of them from mountainless Holland,
who are carrying 15kg of cameras and lenses and a squashed sandwich.
Finally, heralded by a pair of Hornets
flying through the valley pumping out flares, the show proper begins and the
F-5s begin their firing runs.
Aircraft can approach from six directions
to attack at least four targets, on some flying and firing maybe 100m above the
crowd. As most attack in pairs, in quick succession, things happen very
quickly. Approaching along the main axis, the jets line up quickly, fire a
short burst, cross the saddle and then climb the face of the Wildgarst
mountain, rolling inverted and diving down the far side. It’s then when you
notice that there are people up there too, the ones who started walking at 1AM.
They are getting spectacular photos of inverted jets coming at them with the
lake behind, but I wonder about their chances should the weather change. Hidden
by the landscape. The fighters line up again for another approach, the target
is briefly obscured by grey dust as the shells strike home and they are gone
again, rolling inverted and diving into the valley below.
You can see when the jets are firing by a
thin trail of smoke behind them. The sound follows a second or two later. At
least one photographer managed to capture the cannon shells and the supersonic
shockwaves they formed as they traveled at 900 metres a second from an F-5’s
twin cannon. Admittedly he did need a 1300 mm lens and a very high shutter speed
for that.
Spot the really mad ones |
Take that, rock face |
The Gripen Demo didn’t shoot - mainly as in
common with other two-seat Gripens it doesn’t have a cannon, but the 22
single-seat Gripen Es that Switzerland are buying should be bringing their 27mm
Mausers to Axalp from about 2016.
They caught their train |
Gripen over the VIPs |
Along with much of the crowd, I have
already started the walk down, in what proved to be a futile attempt to catch
my train to Geneva. One surprisingly elderly gent got a lift under the rescue
helicopter, not because the walk was too strenuous, but because he chose a
direct route down a slope that even the younger ones felt was too steep,
demonstrating the old joke about how to make a Swiss roll. Another chap brought
himself to the chairlift by parasail, which was still only half way. The image
of Switzerland may be one of rules against everything and high taxes, but they
seem to allow a fair bit of personal responsibility as well.
But Sven always gets to ride in the rescue helicopter... |
Axalp must be the only public air event
where live ammo is flying about and you look down on the participants. Getting
there is a bit like a pilgrimage to a mountaintop shrine, which is of course
half the fun. The event will be held next year on October 9 and 10, but will
take a break for 2014. It’s one of those things that should be on every
aviation enthusiast’s must-do list, although can’t really be called a cheap day
out. I may go again next year, but might see if there are any press seats on
one of those helicopters first….