Mattes Kries | 10 Percent True | EP81 – Part 1

In this episode, Mattes Kries—a former Luftwaffe Tornado IDS pilot and weapons instructor—traces his career from a hard-won start in NATO jet training through frontline Tornado operations, weapons school, and senior tactics leadership. He explains how Germany’s Tornado force evolved from Cold War low-level nuclear strike toward conventional, medium-altitude employment; how lessons from U.S. and NATO exercises reshaped German tactics; and why culture, risk tolerance, and bureaucracy matter as much as hardware.

Along the way, Mattes offers rare, candid insight into weapons school innovation, COMAO command without Link 16, live weapons integration, and the realities of training for combat in a force defined by safety-first constraints—grounded in vivid anecdotes and hard-earned lessons.

Timestamps

00:00 – The Greek instructor teaser

01:58 – Welcome Mattes & Phil’s subscriber questions: inspiration and most exhilarating mission

12:05 – Matthew’s subscriber question: history and pride in the modern Luftwaffe

23:40 – Attachment to the past among today’s Luftwaffe personnel

29:10 – Starting out in the Luftwaffe

34:02 – F-4 ambitions—and why fate had other (good) ideas

41:28 – T-37 challenges (and the Greek instructor)

49:00 – Turning early struggles into long-term success

51:15 – Arrival on the Tornado at Büchel

56:40 – Tornado IDS: roles, weapons, and mission sets

1:05:35 – SIOP and nuclear strike planning

1:10:40 – The MW-1 weapon system

1:20:19 – Why the MW-1 was never fitted for training—and the power of German accountants

1:29:30 – Staying on the boom: tanker planning as a weapons school student

1:35:08 – Avoiding the KC-135 by design?

1:36:35 – Responding to Starbaby’s criticism of ECR capabilities vs decision-maker mindset

1:54:25 – Part 2 incoming