On 20 March 2025, the Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Florian Guillermet, and the Director of the German Military Aviation Authority (Luftahrtamt der Bundeswehr ‘LufABw’), Major General Jan Kuebart, co-signed in Cologne a bilateral agreement and a bilateral arrangement to enhance the European aviation system’s safety through strengthened and pragmatic civil-military cooperation.
In the current geopolitical environment, civil-military cooperation is vital to help accelerate technological development in aviation and to efficiently manage the safety of specific military products throughout their life cycle. EASA is committed to supporting military projects where appropriate and where clear responsibilities are established for the organisations involved.
On 2 December 2024, LufABw was invited to enter into an agreement with EASA regarding access to the European Central Question Bank (ECQB), following the successful conclusion of online meetings, an on-site audit, and a comprehensive standardisation inspection on flight crew licencing (FCL) and flight simulation training devices (FSTDs).
EASA and LufABw also signed yesterday an implementing arrangement to their framework cooperation arrangement that was previously signed in 2017, to:
- describe the range of responsibilities for each authority;
- understand and acknowledge each other’s airworthiness environment and claim credit for this to gain confidence in the data produced and sent by each authority; and
- set out the principles of working together from the design phase of the aircraft until its operation.
This implementing arrangement is concluded in the context of the German H145 Military-Civil Derivative Helicopter Programme, based on lessons learnt from previous civil-military cooperation projects. The arrangement is the first one of its kind, but several others are in the preparation phase.
Background
LufABw was founded in 2015 and is responsible for:
- future-oriented preparation and further development of regulations for military aviation;
- certification of aircraft and aeronautical systems for the German military (Bundeswehr), including supplementary equipment;
- regulation and standardisation of military flight operations in Germany;
- certification and recognition of agencies, authorities, and institutions;
- licensing of flying, technical, and aeromedical personnel; and
- prevention of incidents and accidents involving military aircraft.
Since 2017, LufABw has been also established as one of the German competent authorities within the scope of EASA’s Aircrew Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011), responsible for approving and licensing active military personnel requiring a civil licence and associated training.
