Below you can find detailed information about the Bundeswehr Technical Center for Aircraft and Aeronautical Equipment in Manching, Bavaria. Learn more about its tasks, responsibilities and organizational structure, get contact details and directions.
The Bundeswehr Technical Center for Aircraft and Aeronautical Equipment (WTD 61) plays a crucial role in ensuring that all aircraft in service are safe and comply with their performance parameters.
WTD 61 is tasked with conducting ground and flight tests of equipment developed by the defense industry on behalf of the Bundeswehr. This includes the qualification and technical evaluation of all newly developed flying systems of the Bundeswehr and of modifications carried out on aircraft already in service. The data is evaluated in terms of the aircraft’s performance, its properties as well as its fitness to participate in general air traffic (traffic safety, airworthiness).
To fulfill this mission, WTD 61 represents Bundeswehr interests in all national and international programs involving military, manned and unmanned aviation. On both a national and international level, WTD 61 maintains close connections with other technical and military centers, test centers, companies, research institutes and universities and program offices.
Bundeswehr Technical Center for Bundeswehr Aircraft and Aeronautical Equipment (WTD 61) in Manching
Bundeswehr/WTD 61Its own flight operations play a key role in maintaining both the agency’s required independence from manufacturers and the necessary independent assessment and advisory capability of the Bundeswehr regarding procurement of aircraft. For this reason, WTD 61 operates its own test air base including all required test facilities. It also has its own flight-restricted area where even unmanned systems can be operated safely.
Test flights place high demands on WTD 61’s infrastructure. The most important features of Manching air base are:
WTD 61 has two runways, a grass runway and two helicopter training areas
Bundeswehr/WTD 61
Over WTD 61’s own “Feilenmoos Test Site” a load is dropped from an A400M transport aircraft
Bundeswehr/WTD 61
Reserved airspace over WTD 61 meant for test flights. Six Eurofighter aircraft in front of WTD 61’s combat aircraft hangar are waiting for the imminent test flight in this reserved airspace.
Bundeswehr/WTD 61
Many measuring and monitoring facilities for flight tests are available at WTD 61. The “Quick look room”, for instance, is used to display data for test flight monitors.
Bundeswehr/WTD 61
WTD 61’s test bench for jet engines
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All Bundeswehr jets and helicopters easily fit into the hangar used for night vision tests
Bundeswehr/WTD 61To perform its tasks successfully, WTD 61 must operate its own instrumented test aircraft. All aircraft types to be evaluated are available as test vehicles at WTD 61, especially those that are used in deployment areas. They come equipped with state-of-the-art aircraft instrumentation systems, or they are prepared and fitted with the required measuring equipment by WTD 61 depending on the trials task in question.
At WTD 61 these test aircraft are used to test flight characteristics and flight performance as well as all subsystems including armament and armament control systems.
WTD 61’s fully instrumented Tornado with tail number 98+79 on the apron of “Vidsel Air Base” in Sweden during test and evaluation of Laser Guided Sidewinder
Bundeswehr/WTD 61At WTD 61 the following test aircraft are available:
Modern metrological installations and measuring methods as well as real time data evaluation are basic requirements for the different tests and evaluations conducted at WTD 61.
The laboratories and test rigs at WTD 61 are often equipped with complex state-of-the-art metrological equipment. They are used for data collection as well as for data transfer, preparation and processing.
Not only dummies are fitted with measuring sensors, but also the light support helicopter itself
Bundeswehr/WTD 61TD 61 does not only have onboard and ground-based measuring devices at its disposal, but also various types of optical and electronic measuring equipment that allow high-precision flight path and position tracking. These include, for instance, cinetheodolites and a GPS tracking system with multiple-target detection and DGPS capability.
WTD 61’s own personnel with completed special flight test training participates in the agency’s flight tests and campaigns. The personnel generally includes:
Meeting of all participants prior to a flight test. Pictured here are flight test engineers, test pilots, flight engineers and airworthiness inspectors
Bundeswehr/WTD 61Intensive flight preparation is required during test phases. Naturally, all participants cooperate closely. The campaigns that take place at regular intervals and are often several weeks long are especially time-consuming and labor-intensive.
A major part of procurement and development is to demonstrate compliance with contractual provisions when integrating aircraft armaments and effectors.
WTD 61’s Tiger attack helicopter during the testing of 70 mm rockets in Putlos
Bundeswehr/WTD 61It is therefore necessary to test the performance of the overall system, and thus to render support during the preparation of the approval for service use. This applies to all airborne weapon systems of the Bundeswehr (i.e., (manned and unmanned) rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft) until they are decommissioned following the end of their in-service life. The required compliance tests regularly take place on or over foreign test sites due to space constraints and national restrictions in Germany.
WTD 61 is expanding its competencies in the field of unmanned aerial systems in order to improve and broaden its testing and evaluation capabilities even further.
Two of the test drones at the drone detection radar in front of the Otto Lilienthal Aircraft Hangar at WTD 61 during an R&T project on UAV traffic management and drone detection.
Bundeswehr/WTD 61The newly established National Center of Expertise for UAS acts as a central point of contact for technical matters related to unmanned aerial systems in the Bundeswehr. The focus of its own technical expertise lies on the overall system level of unmanned aircraft and the integration of individual systems into the overall system. To accomplish these tasks, WTD 61 maintains close connections with other experts in the field of UAS-related aspects in the Bundeswehr and actively seeks to strengthen these relationships. Furthermore, the Center of Expertise for UAS is meant to play a central role with regard to Bundeswehr R&T activities in connection with UAS-specific projects.
The National Center of Expertise for UAS also supports the establishment of the “Drone Innovation Hub” (DIH), which will initially fall into WTD 61’s area of responsibility. As an important link between the Bundeswehr and start-up companies with particular focus on drones, the DIH is supposed to quickly implement innovative drone-related developments on behalf of the Bundeswehr.
WTD 61’s main task is testing and evaluating Bundeswehr aircraft and aeronautical equipment. This includes the implementation of demanding and complex flight test projects on the ground and in flight as well as the evaluation of the collected data from an engineering standpoint. From this, the following task areas are derived:
Conducting compliance tests is one of the main tasks of WTD 61.
Compliance tests are particularly relevant with regard to functionality and feasibility of proposed solutions during the procurement process.
Aircraft and aeronautical equipment including their subsystems are also tested for functionality, performance and airworthiness during development and in-service use. They are, however, also tested for their reliability, maintainability and testability.
Compliance tests are also of great importance in terms of engineer-specific information, technical compliance with contractual provisions and cooperation with industries for equipment and systems.
The constant modernization of Bundeswehr aircraft in terms of software and armaments as well as navigational and protective equipment requires expert knowledge, expertise and the opportunity to conduct flight tests. Capability enhancements such as airdropping procedures also need to be tested at regular intervals. Thanks to its facilities and qualified personnel, WTD 61 can fulfill its tasks successfully.
The Bundeswehr is able to meet its demand for aircraft mostly with the help of new developments of commissioned aircraft manufacturers.
Whether the requirements are met and the required performance is achieved is examined under a variety of aspects. WTD 61 contributes greatly to the selection process by providing flight test expertise, for instance.
Aircraft undergo regular maintenance at the manufacturer. Following that, WTD 61’s test aircrews are often involved in the performance of all required in-flight function checks prior to delivery/return to the troops.
The requirements of deployed troops must often be implemented as soon as possible. The expertise and quick support provided by WTD 61 are often crucial for the implementation of these requirements.
In the field of “Research and Technology”, the agency’s tasks include planning and coordinating the technology fields “drive systems” and “navigation” as well as implementing all projects related to these fields.
This means that WTD 61 is also responsible for coordinating projects in all other aviation technology fields and for supporting a number of projects with the help of the agency’s test facilities and by providing flight test expertise.
WTD 61’s own air base in Manching must be operated and maintained with all of its test equipment to ensure that all flight tests can be performed smoothly and, even more importantly, safely. The complex testing infrastructure requires a considerable amount of expert knowledge in a variety of fields.
WTD 61 is one of the Bundeswehr’s largest vocational training centers in the aeronautical field. Every year, WTD 61 offers young people civilian training posts as aircraft mechanics and equipment and system electronics technicians.
Upon completion of their exceptional training, these young experts in their field will have the opportunity to work in a variety of areas at WTD 61. Naturally, this will also open many doors for them in the entire Bundeswehr or they will have the opportunity to undergo further training.
WTD 61 is organized into a staff element, four divisions, an engineering and operational services element and an economic and administrative services element. In addition to that and with a view to implementing European standardization requirements, WTD 61 is creating a “Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation” (CAMO) in accordance with the new requirements of the “German Military Airworthiness Regulations” (DEMAR), and it is establishing the implementation organization for the aeronautical engineering development organization.
The staff element includes essential economic control elements of an agency, for instance task planning as well as cost and performance responsibility. Infrastructure, flight safety and standardization also fall into the staff element’s area of responsibility.
The operational branches of the agency are included in the four divisions “Airfield Operations”, “Flight Tests”, “Overall Systems and Propulsion Systems” and “Mission Systems and Avionics”. The technical and trial-specific tasks as well as research & technology projects are mainly conducted in these divisions.
Maintenance and repairs of all WTD 61 aircraft as well as vocational training, operational services and quality assurance are some of the core elements of the Engineering and Operational Services element, but its tasks also include IT services, logistics and materiel management. The Economic and Administrative Services element is responsible for the agency’s administrative elements.
Wehrtechnische Dienststelle für Luftfahrzeuge und Luftfahrtgerät der Bundeswehr (WTD 61)
Flugplatz
85077 Manching
WTD 61 Hotline
Chief of Staff
Press and Public Relations
