Bordhubschrauberstaffel 3 Marinefliegergeschwader 5

 

 

Callsign : .....
 

Nato Tiger Association status : Probationary member
 

Naval Air Wing 5 (MFG 5) is the helicopter wing of the German Navy, currently based at Nordholz Air Base. and is responsible for the operation of all German Navy helicopters.

It is responsible for all of the Navy's helicopters and plays a key role in maritime search and rescue and anti-submarine warfare.  They allso support the Bundeswehr’s special operations forces and specialised forces, especially when it comes to deploying them for littoral operations or missions at sea.

In addition to training its own flight crews, the wing's training center is also responsible for simulator training for the Portuguese Navy, operating the Joint Lynx Simulator Training Establishment (JLSTE).
 
On January 1, 1958, Fregattenkapitän (O-4, Commander) Heinz Seebens was tasked with establishing a naval air unit for maritime search and rescue.  This was due to the Federal Republic of Germany' joining the International Civil Aviation Organization in 1956.  This obligated Germany to provide an air rescue service for emergencies within its own territorial waters.  However, since the necessary financial resources for establishing a civilian rescue service were unavailable, and as the newly formed Bundeswehr (Federal Armed Forces) was already required to establish such a service for rescuing crews of ships in distress, it was decided to entrust this task to them.
 

With Aufstellungsbefehl Nr. 73 –Marine– (Naval Establishment Order No. 73) the Marinefliegerverband zur Seenotrettung (Naval Search and Rescue Squadron) was established in Kiel-Holtenau on 4 January 1958, and officially commissioned on 1 July 1958.

In June 1958 already four, of the later ten, Bristol Sycamore helicopters were available, along with pilots.

A year later, five Saunders-Roe Skeeter helicopters were added, along with eight Pembroke propeller liaison aircraft and fourteen Dornier  Do.27A and B propellor aircraft.

This necessitated a renaming to Marine-Dienst- und Seenotgruppe (Naval Service and Sea Rescue Group).  The helicopters formed the 1st Fliegende Staffel (Flying Squadron), and the fixed-wing aircraft the 2nd.
 

On October 1st, the group was renamed Marine-Dienst- und Seenotgeschwader (Naval Service and Sea Rescue Wing).
 

In 1963, the squadron was reinforced with new Sikorsky S-58 (H-34) helicopters and received its current name, Marinefliegergeschwader 5 [MFG 5] (Naval Air Wing 5 [MAW 5]).
 

In the early 1970s, the Albatros aircraft used for search and rescue and the Pembroke aircraft used for transport were retired and replaced by Dornier  Do.28 D-2 Skyservant aircraft.

In 1975, the Sea King Mk.41 took over search and rescue duties.
 

On 1 June 1964, Commander Paul Kriebel received Aufstellungsbefehl Nr. 128 –Marine– tasking him with forming Marinefliegergeschwader 3.  Its core consisted of the Marine-U-Jagdstaffel, (Naval Anti-Submarine Warfare Squadron), which until then had been subordinate to Marinefliegergeschwader 2.  In October, elements of the squadron were relocated to Nordholz Air Base, and the anti-submarine warfare squadron was officially renamed 2.Staffel/MFG 3 (2./MFG 3).

In 1980, the Federal Minister of Defense decided to station all the Westland Mk.88 Sea Lynx shipborne helicopters of the seagoing units at Nordholz Air Base.  These helicopters subsequently formed the 3.Staffel/MFG 3 (3./MFG 3).
 
In 1986, further tasks were added to MFG 5.  Two Dornier  Do.28 OU aircraft were equipped with sensors capable of detecting oil spills.   Since then, these have been used to identify ships illegally dumping waste oil on the high seas in the North and Baltic Seas.  The Dornier 228 entered service in 1991.

In September 1994, flight operations with the Do.28 ceased and the 2.Fliegende Staffel was decommissioned. The two Do.28 OUs and the Do.228 LM were transferred to MFG 3 "Graf Zeppelin"
 

From 2002 to 2003 the Sea Lynx helicopters underwent a comprehensive modernization program, resulting in a total of 22 Mk.88A helicopters being in service with MFG 3.

 
In 2009, twenty-one Sikorsky "Sea King" SAR helicopters were in service.

 
As part of the restructuring of the German Armed Forces, it was decided to relocate MFG 5 from Kiel to Nordholz Air Base.

 
Upon arrival at Nordholz Air Base, the Bordhubschrauberstaffel 3./MFG 3 (shipborne helicopter squadron 3/MFG 3) transferred to MFG 5.

 
On January 1, 2015, the municipality of Nordholz was incorporated into the newly formed municipality of Wurster Nordseeküste, thus changing the squadron's official location. The air base continues to bear the official designation "NATO Naval Air Station Nordholz."
 
Since 2024, a civilian Eurocopter EC 135 has been used for pilot training.  This allows young naval aviators to gain approximately 800 flight hours of experience in a maritime environment each year before continuing their training on the respective weapon system.  The helo is operated and maintained by HeliOperations in the UK.
 
In autumn 2019, the first of 18 NH90 NTH "Sea Lion" helicopters arrived in Nordholz to replace the Sea King, which had been in service since the mid-1970s.  The last NTH arrived in Nordholz in early 2023, and a new NH90 training center was opened at the end of that year.  This enabled the decommissioning of the Sea King Mk.41 in August 2024.
 
End of 2025 the replacement of the Westland Super Lynx Mk.88A with the NH90 NFH Sea Tiger began.

 
 

(all aircraft are to scale, not all drawings show a helo in 3./MFG5 markings)

Aircraft

Westland Mk.88 Sea Lynx

Westland Mk.88A Super Lynx

NH90 NFH Sea Lion

NH90 NFH Sea Tiger

Airbus Helicopters EC135
 
Insignia

Marinefliegergeschwader 5 (1960-2013)

Marinefliegergeschwader 5 (1960-2013)

Marinefliegergeschwader 5 (1960-2013)
 

Marinefliegergeschwader 5 (2013-date)

1.Staffel, Marinefliegergeschwader 5

1.Staffel, Aufklärungsgeschwader 51
 

2.Staffel, Aufklärungsgeschwader 51

3. Staffel Marinefliegergeschwader 5

Marinefliegergeschwader 3 (1964-1967)
 

Marinefliegergeschwader 3 'Graf Zeppelin' (1967-date)

1.Staffel, Marinefliegergeschwader 3 'Graf Zeppelin'

2.Staffel, Marinefliegergeschwader 3 'Graf Zeppelin'

 

2.Staffel, Marinefliegergeschwader 3 'Graf Zeppelin'

3.Staffel, Marinefliegergeschwader 3 'Graf Zeppelin'

3.Staffel, Marinefliegergeschwader 3 'Graf Zeppelin'

 

Marine-U-Jagdstaffel

Joint Lynx Simulator Training Establishment

Joint Lynx Simulator Training Establishment - 2020 update
 
 

back

 

text & picture sources : own collection & library + the world wide web / No copyright infringement intended : drawings, photos, etc. belong to the rightful owners.

A special   Thank you !   to Rob L.