of 30 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, 15 EA-18G Growlers and 55 Eurofighter Typhoons as replacements for the Tornado fleet. However, as of the same month such approval was unlikely to occur before 2022. The Super Hornet was selected due to its compatibility with nuclear weapons and availability of an electronic attack version. As of March 2022, the Super Hornet is not certified for the B61 Mod 12 nuclear bombs, but Dan Gillian, head of Boeing's Super Hornet program, previously stated that "We certainly think that we, working with the U.S. government, can meet the German requirements there on the [German's] timeline." In December 2021, Air Transport Wing 63 in Hohn Air Base and with it the last remaining German C-160 Transalls were disbanded, with the A400M and C-130J serving as the German tactical transport aircraft in the future. In March 2022, German Minister of Defence Christine Lambrecht announced that Germany intends to buy 35 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets instead of Super Hornets to replace the Tornado, the only aircraft Germany possess capable of carrying US nuclear weapons. Germany intends to also order 15 Eurofighter Typhoon electronic warfare aircraft in place of Growlers. In April 2022, as continuation of STH program, Germany has chosen the CH-47F Chinook to replace its ageing fleet of Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion. According Reuters report, Germany will purchase 60 CH-47Fs with contract worth around (). In August 2022, Germany sent six Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, three Airbus A330 MRTT tankers and four Airbus A400M Atlas transports to take part in Exercise Pitch Black in Australia, in the air force's largest peacetime deployment. Structure The current commander of the German Air Force is Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz. The Inspector of the Air Force () is the commander of Air Force Command (), a body created in 2013 by the merger of the Air Force Office (), German Air Staff (), and Air Force Forces Command (). Similar to the Air Staff of the United States Air Force, the German Air Force Command is a force providing command, not an operational command. The Air Force Command is tasked with ensuring the combat readiness of the German Air Force combat units, which during operations would either be commanded by a NATO command or the Joint Operations Command of the . The Air Force command directly controls three higher commands. The creation of the Air Force Command