The Air Mobility Command trains in dropping cargo and paratroopers during the annual Falcon Leap exercise.
The international exercise Falcon Leap will be held from September 8 to 19, 2025. The exercise is being organized by the Royal Netherlands Army's 11th Airmobile Brigade. This exercise will focus on international cooperation with eight different countries.
From September 8 to 19, 2025, the international airborne exercise Falcon Leap will be held from Eindhoven Air Base. The exercise is organized by the Royal Netherlands Army's 11th Airmobile Brigade. The transport aircraft of the Air Mobility Command, together with international partners, will provide air transport. During this exercise, the focus will be on international cooperation with eight different countries. On Saturday, September 20, 2025, a number of aircraft will take part in the annual commemoration of Operation Market Garden on the Ginkel Heath near Ede.
During the first week of this exercise, cargo drops (Container Delivery System [CDS] drops) and personnel drops will be practiced in an international context. Cargo drops are an important task of the Air Mobility Command, with the Airmobile Brigade responsible for preparing these cargo packages. A recent example is the dropping of relief supplies over Gaza. Exercises such as Falcon Leap are important to ensure that we can continue to carry out these types of missions in the future. The second week of the exercise will focus on dropping both Dutch and foreign paratroopers with aircraft from different countries. During this exercise, we will take off and land at Eindhoven Air Base, Twente Airport will also be used, and the Ginkelse Heide and Marnewaard will be used as drop zones.
During flights to the training locations, the aircraft will fly lower than normal and will therefore be more visible and audible. Low-level flying is an important part of the exercise for the pilots. During this exercise, flights will be conducted in two blocks. The expected times are as follows: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Please note that these times are subject to change due to various circumstances. We therefore advise everyone to follow the Eindhoven Air Base X account: @VlbEindhoven. The flight times will be communicated here on a daily basis.
For the safety of spectators and skydivers, the exact times and locations of the skydives will not be disclosed.
Military exercises are carefully prepared. This is essential for the units participating in the exercises, but also to minimize disruption to the areas surrounding the exercise locations. However, some disruption may still occur during these exercises. Any reports can be submitted via the complaint form at www.luchtmacht.nl/geluidshinder. For more information about flight movements, see www.luchtmacht.nl/vliegbewegingen.