The shots with live ammunition of Swiss F/A-18C fighters at an alpine airshow

@DefAviation ES 10·24·2023 · 21:02 0

Annually, the Swiss Alps are the scene of one of the most spectacular air festivals held in Europe: the AXALP.

The skillful demonstration of a Swiss Air Force Hornet fighter in the Glarus Alps
The exhibition of a Finnish pilot doing almost impossible maneuvers with an F/A-18C fighter

This festival is held in Ebenfluh, at 2,300 meters above sea level, so the AXALP is surely also the European air festival at the highest altitude. Year after year, the F/A-18C Hornet fighter-bombers of the Swiss Air Force make low-flying flights between the Alpine peaks, offering formidable images to aeronautical photographers. In addition, the AXALP has another peculiarity: the Swiss fighters fire their 20 mm Vulcan cannons with live ammunition, something very rare to see at a European air festival.

The 2023 edition of AXALP was held on October 18 and 19. Among the videos that have been published about this edition, it is worth highlighting this one published by the British photographer Elwyn R, in which we can see the shots of the cannons and the impacts of the 20 mm on target:

Here you can see some screenshots from the video. First we see two Swiss F-18Cs flying through a valley and launching flares, a countermeasure used by all types of aircraft to throw off infrared-guided missiles.

Here we see the moment of the shot. The F/A-18 has its M61 Vulcan rotary cannon located in front of the cockpit. The sound of the shot reaches the ground with some delay.

The impacts of the 20 mm ammunition on the target. In addition to being very skilled in handling these aircraft, Swiss pilots have very good aim.

If you have been left wanting more, the British photographer Dafydd Phillips has published this longer video, in which we see the spectacular passes of the Swiss F-18C through the mountains:

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Main photo: Dafydd Phillips.