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Swedish Air Force

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Swedish Air Force
Flygvapnet
Flygvapnet vapen bra.svg
Coat of arms of the Swedish Air Force
Founded1 July 1926; 96 years ago (1926-07-01)
Country Sweden
TypeAir force
RoleAerial warfare
Size2,700[1]
Part ofSwedish Armed Forces
March
  • Flygvapnets Defileringsmarsch
  • (English: "March of the Swedish Air Force"), by Helge Damberg
Equipment207 aircraft
Engagements
Commanders
Chief of Air ForceJonas Wikman
Deputy Chief of Air ForceTommy Petersson
Chief of the Air StaffDennis Hedström
Notable
commanders
Bengt Nordenskiöld
Insignia
RoundelRoundel of Sweden.svg Roundel of Sweden – Low Visibility.svg
Aircraft flown
Electronic
warfare
Saab 340 AEW&C, Gulfstream IV-SP
FighterJAS 39 Gripen
HelicopterA109LUH, NH90, UH-60M
TrainerSaab 105, Grob G 120TP
TransportC-130H Hercules, Saab 340B, Gulfstream IV-SP, Gulfstream G550

The Swedish Air Force (Swedish: Svenska flygvapnet or just Flygvapnet) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.

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Swedish language

Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language spoken predominantly in Sweden and in parts of Finland. It has at least 10 million native speakers, the fourth most spoken Germanic language and the first among any other of its type in the Nordic countries overall.

Air force

Air force

An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army or navy. Typically, air forces are responsible for gaining control of the air, carrying out strategic and tactical bombing missions, and providing support to land and naval forces often in the form of aerial reconnaissance and close air support.

Military branch

Military branch

Military branch is according to common standard a subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state.

Swedish Armed Forces

Swedish Armed Forces

The Swedish Armed Forces is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting international peacekeeping, and providing humanitarian aid. It consists of the Swedish Army, the Swedish Air Force and the Swedish Navy, as well as a military reserve force, the Home Guard. Since 1994, all Swedish military branches are organized within a single unified government agency, headed by the Supreme Commander, even though the individual services maintain their distinct identities.

History

DH.98 Mosquito NF.19 night fighter of the Swedish Air Force in 1949
DH.98 Mosquito NF.19 night fighter of the Swedish Air Force in 1949

The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded from four to seven squadrons.

World War II

When World War II broke out in 1939 further expansion was initiated and this substantial expansion was not finished until the end of the war. Although Sweden never entered the war, a large air force was considered necessary to ward off the threat of invasion and to resist pressure through military threats from the great powers. By 1945 the Swedish Air Force had over 800 combat-ready aircraft, including 15 fighter divisions.

A major problem for the Swedish Air Force during World War II was the lack of fuel. Sweden was surrounded by countries at war and could not rely on imported oil. Instead domestic oil shales were heated to produce the needed petrol.[3]

About 250 aircrew were killed in crashes 1939-1945 according to statistics that were not disclosed during the war years but published afterwards.[4]

Expansion during the Cold War

Swedish Air Force P-51D on display at the Swedish Air Force Museum
Swedish Air Force P-51D on display at the Swedish Air Force Museum

The Swedish Air Force underwent a rapid modernization from 1945. It was no longer politically acceptable to equip it with second-rate models. Instead, the Air Staff purchased the best it could find from abroad, e.g. P-51D Mustangs, De Havilland Mosquito NF.19 night fighters and de Havilland Vampires, and supported the development of top performance domestic models. The Saab 29 Tunnan jet fighter was introduced around 1950.

In the late 1950s the Swedish Air Force introduced the Bas 60 air base system, which revolved around force dispersal of air squadrons across many wartime air bases in case of war in order to make it complicated for an opponent to destroy the air force on the ground. Road runways were also introduced as backup runways. Bas 60 was developed further into Bas 90 during the 1970s and 1980s.[5][6][7][8]

During the Cold War large amounts of money (including funds intended for the Swedish nuclear weapons programme) were spent on the Swedish Air Force and domestic aircraft production. In 1957 Sweden had the world's fourth most powerful air force,[9] with about 1,000 modern planes in front-line service.[10] During the 1950s, it introduced fighters such as the Saab J 29 Tunnan, Saab A 32 Lansen and Saab J 35 Draken.

In June 1952 the Swedish Air Force lost two aircraft on Cold War operations, in what became known as the Catalina affair. A signals intelligence Douglas DC-3 was intercepted by Soviet MiG-15s over the Baltic, and shot down with the loss of three aircrew and five civilian technicians. A PBY Catalina rescue seaplane was then also downed, the five-man crew being rescued from the sea by a freighter.

In the air defence role the Swedish Air Force also operated surface-to-air missiles. Svea Air Corps (F 8) operated de Havilland J-28B Vampire jet aircraft in 1949 being replaced in 1953 by Saab J-29 Tunnan and in 1957 by J-34 Hunter fighters. As of 1961 F 8 reroled into missile defence role becoming the air force technical training centre for using the new RB-68 Bloodhound systems in 2 squadrons until 1974.

These Swedish units also operated the RB-68 missile system (1 squadron each):

Death toll during the Cold War

In the Cold War era, more than 600 Swedish fighter pilots were killed in crashes during peacetime exercises and training in the 1945–1991 period.[11] In the 1950s–60s era the flight training curriculum was deficient and the training regimes were too risky and some aircraft types had design flaws. In the 1950s, about 21 pilots were killed annually.[12]

In the 1960s the average number of killed were 13 per year, which meant Sweden had sixfold mortality rate per 100,000 flight hours compared to the United States. In the 1960s flight safety starts to become a consideration, not due to the death toll but because the aircraft were getting increasingly expensive.[12] In October 1960, a Lansen fighter crashed into a farmhouse and killed 7 people.[4] In the 1970s the death toll was reduced to 6–7 per year. In subsequent years, it continued to fall and from 1996 onwards, no fatal accident has been recorded.[12]

War service

The Swedish Air Force has been involved in three wars, the Finno-Soviet Winter War in 1939–40, in which volunteers took part, the Congo Crisis, 1961–64, and in the 2011 Libyan civil war.

Finland 1940

When the Soviet Union attacked Finland in November 1939, Sweden came to its neighbour's assistance and eventually decided not to join the war.

A Swedish volunteer infantry brigade and a volunteer air squadron fought in northern Finland from January to March 1940. The squadron was designated F 19 and consisted of 12 Gloster Gladiator fighters and four Hawker Hart dive-bombers.

Congo 1961–1964

Saab 37 Viggen (1972–2005)
Saab 37 Viggen (1972–2005)

The Swedish Air Force saw combat as part of the United Nations peace-keeping mission ONUC during the Congo Crisis in 1961 to 1964. It established a separate air wing, F 22, equipped with a dozen Saab 29 Tunnans, which performed well under the rough conditions in central Africa. The secessionist adversaries possessed only a small number of aircraft with poor combat capabilities, e.g. Fouga Magister trainers.

1990s – restructuring

With the end of the Cold War the Swedish Armed Forces underwent a massive restructuring process. During this time, several air bases were deemed unnecessary and closed with fighters like the Saab 37 Viggen retired prematurely. In 1994 the air force had over 400 fighters, by 2005 the number had sunk to fewer than 150.

Libya 2011

On 29 March 2011, the Swedish prime minister announced that eight Saab JAS 39 Gripens would support the UN-mandated no-fly zone over Libya.[13] The announcement responded to a NATO request for assistance. The Swedish fighters were limited to supporting the no-fly zone and were not authorized to engage in ground attack sorties. The deployment was approved by the Swedish Riksdag on 1 April 2011 and the first jets departed for Libya on 2 April. A C-130 Hercules accompanied the fighters for mid-air refueling.[14]

Discover more about History related topics

De Havilland Mosquito

De Havilland Mosquito

The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or "Mossie". Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft Production, nicknamed it "Freeman's Folly", alluding to Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Freeman, who defended Geoffrey de Havilland and his design concept against orders to scrap the project. In 1941, it was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world.

Great power

Great power

A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power influence, which may cause middle or small powers to consider the great powers' opinions before taking actions of their own. International relations theorists have posited that great power status can be characterized into power capabilities, spatial aspects, and status dimensions.

Oil

Oil

An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic & lipophilic. Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated lipids that are liquid at room temperature.

Oil shale

Oil shale

Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general composition of oil shales constitutes inorganic substance and bitumens. Based on their deposition environment, oil shales are classified as marine, lacustrine and terrestrial oil shales. Oil shales differ from oil-bearing shales, shale deposits that contain petroleum that is sometimes produced from drilled wells. Examples of oil-bearing shales are the Bakken Formation, Pierre Shale, Niobrara Formation, and Eagle Ford Formation. Accordingly, shale oil produced from oil shale should not be confused with tight oil, which is also frequently called shale oil.

Air Staff (Sweden)

Air Staff (Sweden)

Air Staff is the staff of the Chief of the Swedish Air Force. It was officially established in 1936 as a result of the Defence Act of 1936 and would handle matters of a general nature. The Air Staff's duties included, among other things to assist the Chief of the Air Force with leadership of the Air Force's mobilization, training, tactics, organization, equipment and personnel to the extent that such activity was not directly related to operational activities, which was then handled by the Defence Staff. In 1994, the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters took over the Air Staff's duties. In 2019, the Air Force Staff was re-established, now located in Uppsala Garrison.

De Havilland Vampire

De Havilland Vampire

The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by a single jet engine.

Saab 29 Tunnan

Saab 29 Tunnan

The Saab 29 Tunnan, colloquially Flygande tunnan or just Tunnan, is a Swedish fighter that was designed and manufactured by Saab in the late 1940s. It was the second turbojet-powered combat aircraft to be developed in Sweden, the first being the Saab 21R, and it was the first Western European fighter to be produced with a swept wing post World War II, only being preceded in Western Europe as a whole by the Me 262 built during the war. Despite its rotund appearance, from which its name is derived, the J 29 was fast and agile and served effectively in both fighter and fighter-bomber roles into the 1970s.

Bas 60

Bas 60

Bas 60 was an air base system developed and used by the Swedish Air Force during the Cold War. The system was based around defensive force dispersal of aircraft and its supporting ground operations across many krigsflygbaser in case of war, primarily as a protective measure against nuclear weapons. The purpose of the system was to make it complicated for an opponent to destroy the Swedish Air Force on the ground and thus ensure endurance for the air force in a conflict scenario. The plan was to disperse the air units so one krigsflygbas would house one squadron. This dispersion principle also applied to the individual wartime bases themselves, meaning that the various functions of an air base were spread over a large area in and around the base.

Force dispersal

Force dispersal

Force dispersal is the practice of spreading out soldiers and vehicles in an army. It is used to minimize the effects of collateral damage, such as from bombs and artillery, and increases the number of artillery rounds needed to neutralize or destroy a military force in proportion to the dispersal of the force. If a division doubles the area it takes up, it will double the number of artillery rounds needed to do the same damage to it. As more targets are spread out, more artillery and bombs are required to hit them all. It's also used on a squad level, notably in counter-insurgency, to minimize the effects of grenades, land mines, improvised explosive devices, explosive booby traps, and to a lesser extent automatic gunfire. When individual soldiers are spaced apart, it's much more difficult for a single grenade to incapacitate them all. Force dispersal may also be used in urban guerrilla warfare and as a tactic by militias to combat military intelligence instead of collateral damage. In this use, breaking up into covert cells is meant to make it harder to eliminate the whole organization at once, and to reduce the damage when portions of it are discovered.

Highway strip

Highway strip

A highway strip, road runway or road base is a section of a highway, motorway or other form of public road that is specially built to act as a runway for (mostly) military aircraft and to serve as an auxiliary military air base. These runways allow military aircraft to continue operating even if their regular air bases, some of the most vulnerable targets in any war, are degraded or destroyed.

Bas 90

Bas 90

Bas 90 was an air base system used by the Swedish Air Force during the Cold War. Bas 90 was developed during the 1970s and 1980s from the existing Bas 60 system in response to the new threats and needs that had arisen since the conception of the Bas 60 system during the 1950s. Like its predecessor, the Bas 90 system was based around defensive force dispersal of aircraft across many krigsflygbaser in case of war, as well as dispersion of the air base functions within the individual bases themselves. The air units would have been dispersed so one squadron would be stationed per krigsflygbas. The system was a protective measure against nuclear weapons and airstrikes, the purpose being to make it complicated for an opponent to destroy the Swedish Air Force on the ground and thus ensure endurance for the air force in a conflict scenario.

Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term cold war is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two superpowers, but they each supported opposing sides in major regional conflicts known as proxy wars. The conflict was based on the ideological and geopolitical struggle for global influence by these two superpowers, following their temporary alliance and victory against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 1945. Aside from the nuclear arsenal development and conventional military deployment, the struggle for dominance was expressed via indirect means such as psychological warfare, propaganda campaigns, espionage, far-reaching embargoes, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race.

Current Inventory

Aircraft

A Gripen performing at RIAT 2009
A Gripen performing at RIAT 2009
An A109E on take off
An A109E on take off
A Saab 340 AEW&C in flight at the Swedish Armed Forces' Airshow 2010.
A Saab 340 AEW&C in flight at the Swedish Armed Forces' Airshow 2010.
Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Combat aircraft
JAS 39 Gripen Sweden multirole JAS 39C 71[15] 60 E variants on order[15]
AWACS
Saab 340 Sweden AEW&C 2[15] equipped with the Erieye radar
Bombardier Global Express Canada AEW Global 6000 2 GlobalEye on order[15]
Tanker
KC-130 Hercules United States aerial refueling KC-130H 1[15]
Transport
Saab 340 Sweden utility transport 2[15] one used for reconnaissance[15]
Gulfstream IV United States VIP transport 4[16] two aircraft used for SIGINT[15]
C-130 Hercules United States tactical airlifter C-130H 5[15]
C-130J Super Hercules United States tactical airlifter C-130J-30 Planed Repalcemet
Helicopters
Sikorsky UH-60 United States utility UH-60M 15[15]
NHIndustries NH90 European union utility / transport TTH 18[15]
AgustaWestland AW109 Italy trainer / light utility 20[15]
Trainer aircraft
Saab 105 Sweden jet trainer 46[15]
Grob G 120TP Germany basic trainer 3 7 on order[15]
JAS 39 Gripen Sweden conversion trainer JAS 39D 23[15]
UAV
Elbit Skylark[17] Israel surveillance
AAI RQ-7 Shadow United States surveillance 8[18]

Note: Three C-17 Globemaster III's are available through the Heavy Airlift Wing based in Hungary[19]

In November 2022 the Strategic Defense Plan was published in which it was announced that all NH90 helicopters will be phased out and replaced, additional Sikorsky Black Hawks will be ordered for the tactical transport role, a new medium sized helicopter for the ASW/ASuW role will be selected.

Weapons

Discover more about Current Inventory related topics

List of military aircraft of Sweden

List of military aircraft of Sweden

This is a list of Swedish military aircraft since its start. It is not guaranteed to be up-to-date or to be accurate, or complete. Aircraft still in service noted.

Saab 340 AEW&C

Saab 340 AEW&C

The Saab 340 AEW&C is a Swedish airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft; a variant of the Saab 340 aircraft is designated S 100B Argus by the Swedish Air Force.

Saab JAS 39 Gripen

Saab JAS 39 Gripen

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stability design and fly-by-wire flight controls. Later aircraft are fully NATO interoperable. As of 2020, more than 271 Gripens of all models, A–F, have been delivered.

Sweden

Sweden

Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge–tunnel across the Öresund. At 447,425 square kilometres (172,752 sq mi), Sweden is the largest Nordic country, the third-largest country in the European Union, and the fifth-largest country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Stockholm. Sweden has a total population of 10.5 million, and a low population density of 25.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (66/sq mi), with around 87% of Swedes residing in urban areas, which cover 1.5% of the entire land area, in the central and southern half of the country.

Multirole combat aircraft

Multirole combat aircraft

A multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) is a combat aircraft intended to perform different roles in combat. These roles can include air to air combat, air support, aerial bombing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and suppression of air defenses.

Airborne early warning and control

Airborne early warning and control

An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft, ships, vehicles, missiles, and other incoming projectiles at long ranges and perform command and control of the battlespace in an air engagement by directing fighter and attack aircraft strikes. AEW&C units are also used to carry out surveillance, including over ground targets and frequently perform battle management command and control (BMC2). When used at altitude, the radar on the aircraft allows the operators to detect and track targets and distinguish between friendly and hostile aircraft much farther away than a similar ground-based radar. Like a ground-based radar, it can be detected by opposing forces, but because of its mobility and extended sensor range, it is much less vulnerable to counter-attacks.

Erieye

Erieye

The Erieye radar system is an Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) developed by Saab Electronic Defence Systems of Sweden. It uses active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology. The Erieye is used on a variety of aircraft platforms, such as the Saab 340 and Embraer R-99. It has recently been implemented on the Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft as the GlobalEye.

Bombardier Global Express

Bombardier Global Express

The Bombardier Global Express is a large cabin, 6,000 nmi / 11,100 km range business jet designed and manufactured by Bombardier Aviation . Announced in October 1991, it first flew on 13 October 1996, received its Canadian type certification on 31 July 1998 and entered service in July 1999. Initially powered by two BMW/Rolls-Royce BR710s, it shares its fuselage cross section with the Canadair Regional Jet and Challenger 600 with a new wing and tail. The shorter range Global 5000 is slightly smaller and the Global 6000 is updated and has been modified for military missions. The longer range Global 5500/6500 are powered by new Rolls-Royce Pearl engines with lower fuel burn and were unveiled in May 2018. The larger and stretched Global 7500/8000 have longer ranges.

Canada

Canada

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Its southern and western border with the United States, stretching 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi), is the world's longest binational land border. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

GlobalEye

GlobalEye

GlobalEye is a multi-role airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) platform from Swedish defence and security company Saab. GlobalEye consists of a suite of sensors using Saab's Erieye ER radar and mission system, installed in the Bombardier Global 6000/6500 long-range business jet.

Aerial refueling

Aerial refueling

Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft to another while both aircraft are in flight. The two main refueling systems are probe-and-drogue, which is simpler to adapt to existing aircraft, and the flying boom, which offers faster fuel transfer, but requires a dedicated boom operator station.

Organization

Fighter units

There are four wings of fighters:

Helicopter units

The aviation units that were formerly under the Swedish Army ("Arméflyget") and the Swedish Navy ("Marinflyget") have been merged with the helicopter units of the Air Force to form the single Helicopter Wing (Hkpflj) for the entire Armed Forces. The wing has been placed under the authority of the Air Force and consists of:

  • 1st Helicopter Squadron (1 Helikopterskvadronen, abbreviated 1 Hkpskv)
  • 2nd Helicopter Squadron (2 Helikopterskvadronen, abbreviated 2 Hkpskv)
  • 3rd Helicopter Squadron (3 Helikopterskvadronen, abbreviated 3 Hkpskv)

Air transport and special units

The air transport units perform airlift operations, and are used in both national and in international missions. The unit also organizes the Swedish part of the Heavy Airlift Wing in Hungary. Signals reconnaissance units conduct electronic combat reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

  • 71st Air Transport Division (71 Transportflygdivisionen, abbreviated 71 Tpdiv)
    • Co-located with F 7
  • 7th Transport and Special Air Unit (7 Transport- och specialflygenheten, abbreviated 7 TSFE)
    • Co-located with F 7

Discover more about Organization related topics

Skaraborg Wing

Skaraborg Wing

Skaraborg Wing, also F 7 Såtenäs, or simply F 7, is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Lidköping in south-central Sweden.

Blekinge Wing

Blekinge Wing

Blekinge Wing, also F 17 Kallinge, or simply F 17, is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Ronneby in southern Sweden. It is one of the three remaining wings in Sweden and currently has two squadrons of multirole aircraft. F 17 in the south and F 21 in the north are the two wings remaining to have operational squadrons. F 7 is a school where pilots begin their training in the JAS 39 Gripen. After that the pilot's training is moved out to the two operational wings there they learn their final skills.

Norrbotten Wing

Norrbotten Wing

Norrbotten Wing, also F 21 Luleå, or simply F 21, is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located in Luleå Airport in northern Sweden. It is one of the three remaining wings in Sweden and currently has two squadrons of multirole aircraft. F 21 in the north and F 17 in the south are the two wings remaining to have operational squadrons. F 7 is a school where pilots begin their training in the JAS 39 Gripen. Once completed the pilot's training is moved out to the two operational wings where they acquire their final training.

Malmen Airbase

Malmen Airbase

Malmen Airbase is a military airbase located in Malmslätt, Linköping Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden. It is located 3 nautical miles west of Linköping.

Fighter aircraft

Fighter aircraft

Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield permits bombers and attack aircraft to engage in tactical and strategic bombing of enemy targets.

Lidköping

Lidköping

Lidköping is a locality and the seat of Lidköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had about 40 000 inhabitants in 2021.

Kallinge

Kallinge

Kallinge is a locality situated in Ronneby Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 4,561 inhabitants in 2010. It is an industrial and garrison town and is situated about 5 km north of Ronneby.

Ronneby

Ronneby

Ronneby is a locality and the seat of Ronneby Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 12,029 inhabitants in 2010.

Kallax

Kallax

Kallax is a locality situated in Luleå Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 321 inhabitants in 2010. Luleå Airport is situated near Kallax.

Luleå

Luleå

Luleå is a city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban core (2018) and is the seat of Luleå Municipality. Luleå is Sweden's 25th largest city and Norrbotten County's largest city.

Swedish Army

Swedish Army

The Swedish Army is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces.

Swedish Armed Forces Helicopter Wing

Swedish Armed Forces Helicopter Wing

The Swedish Armed Forces Helicopter Wing organizes all Swedish Armed Forces military helicopter operations. The unit was formed in 1998 by merging the Army, Air Force and Navy helicopter resources. The unit is located in three places in Sweden, with headquarters at Malmen Airbase in Linköping.

Future of the Swedish Air Force

A Gripen over at RIAT 2014
A Gripen over at RIAT 2014

The Swedish Air Force is being adapted to new future tasks. With the collapse of the only military threat, the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War, the Swedish government has cut the Swedish armed forces budget, including the Air Force and its fighters. Today about 80 Gripen C/D fighters remain in service. Some orders have been made on the helicopter side and about 40 new units will join the air force in the coming years. Saab has also joined the primarily French project for the unmanned future stealth plane Dassault nEUROn.

In 2008 and 2010, the Swedish armed forces wanted to retire even more fighters and close air bases to relocate money to other branches. However, because of negative response from the public and pressure from the Swedish government, no cuts happened as of 2011.[22][23][24][25]

Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors responded to the Russian purchase of Mistral-class amphibious assault ships by saying that the Swedish Air Force would need "sea targeting capabilities".[26]

In 2013, the USMC introduced Swedish helicopter units to the forward air control airborne mission profile for better air-ground coordination.[27] In the same year, 60 further modified E class Gripens were ordered with the first plane to join the Air force in 2018.[28] In April 2014, the Swedish government proposed another 10 fighters making the total order 70 planes.[29]

By 2019 there were also plans to keep some of the Gripen C aircraft in service to keep numbers of fighters at current levels.[30]

At RIAT 2022, the commander of the Swedish Air Force stated that the air force in the future (2030) will consist of 60 Jas 39C/D and 60 Jas 39E in a total of 7 fighter squadrons.

Saab JAS 39 Gripen E

Today the Swedish Air Force main fighter is the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, in the C/D versions. By 2018 95 fighters were active with about 30 of these being updated from the A version.[31]

The heavily modernised E version will replace the current fleet of Gripen Cs. The new aircraft includes a new Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, and is powered by the General Electric F414G. It carries more fuel and weapons. The upgrade also includes new weapon systems like the Meteor missile system.[32] In 2013, Saab signed an agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration for 60 new Gripen in the E version. The first aircraft is to join the Swedish Air Force by 2018.[33] There are also plans to buy further 10 aircraft.[29] JAS 39C is expected to remain in service until 2030.[34]

A Swedish Air Force C-130 Hercules at the 2017 RIAT, England
A Swedish Air Force C-130 Hercules at the 2017 RIAT, England

Military transport aircraft

The Swedish C-130 Hercules (TP 84) were bought from the United States in the 1960s and has been updated several times. By 2020 the current version will not be able to fly because of new restrictions to civilian air space. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration has been tasked to update the aircraft so they can remain in service to 2030. There are also plans to buy new aircraft by 2024 to replace the current fleet.[35] As part of the Heavy Airlift Wing cooperation, Sweden also operates three Boeing C-17 which are located at Pápa Air Base in Hungary.

Training aircraft

Sweden uses the Saab 105 as the primary jet-trainer. About 40 planes are today operational. Designed in the 1960s the aircraft is starting to show its age and will gradually be replaced. The Swedish Air Force has selected the Grob G 120TP as its new Basic Trainer Aircraft, designated SK 40. Seven aircraft and one computer-based training system are on order, with delivery expected in 2022 and service starting in 2023.[36]

Saab GlobalEye AEW&C

Sweden will procure the Saab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform to replace its two S100D/ASC890. The Swedish Armed Forces submitted an official request to the government to buy the Saab GlobalEye platform on October 1, 2021. On October 24, 2021 the Swedish government approved the purchase to replace its old S100D/ASC890.

On 30 June 2022 SAAB and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) signed a contract for the acquisition of 2 GlobalEye aircraft, to be designated S 106 in Swedish service. The deal is valued at 7,3 billion SEK (US$710 million) and deliveries are scheduled for 2027. The contract also includes the option to procure up to 2 additional GlobalEye aircraft.

Discover more about Future of the Swedish Air Force related topics

Austerity

Austerity

Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spending, raising taxes while cutting spending, and lower taxes and lower government spending. Austerity measures are often used by governments that find it difficult to borrow or meet their existing obligations to pay back loans. The measures are meant to reduce the budget deficit by bringing government revenues closer to expenditures. Proponents of these measures state that this reduces the amount of borrowing required and may also demonstrate a government's fiscal discipline to creditors and credit rating agencies and make borrowing easier and cheaper as a result.

Dassault nEUROn

Dassault nEUROn

The Dassault nEUROn is an experimental unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) being developed with international cooperation, led by the French company Dassault Aviation. Countries involved in this project include France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The design goal is to create a stealthy, autonomous UAV that can function in medium-to-high threat combat zones. Comparable projects include the British BAE Systems Taranis, German/Spanish EADS Barracuda, Turkish Baykar Bayraktar Kızılelma, American Boeing X-45 and Northrop Grumman X-47B, the Indian DRDO AURA, and the Russian Mikoyan Skat and Sukhoi Okhotnik.

Mistral-class amphibious assault ship

Mistral-class amphibious assault ship

The Mistral class is a class of five amphibious assault ships built by France. Also known as helicopter carriers, and referred to as "projection and command ships", a Mistral-class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 NH90 or Tiger helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 vehicles including 13 Leclerc tanks, or a 40-strong Leclerc tank battalion, and 450 soldiers. The ships are equipped with a 69-bed hospital, and are capable of serving as part of a NATO Response Force, or with United Nations or European Union peace-keeping forces.

Forward air control

Forward air control

Forward air control is the provision of guidance to close air support (CAS) aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller (FAC).

General Electric F414

General Electric F414

The General Electric F414 is an American afterburning turbofan engine in the 22,000-pound thrust class produced by GE Aviation. The F414 originated from GE's widely used F404 turbofan, enlarged and improved for use in the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The engine was developed from the F412 non-afterburning turbofan planned for the A-12 Avenger II, before it was canceled.

Meteor (missile)

Meteor (missile)

The Meteor is a European active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) developed and manufactured by MBDA. It offers a multi-shot capability, and has the ability to engage highly maneuverable targets, such as jets, and small targets such as UAVs and cruise missiles in a heavy electronic countermeasures (ECM) environment with a range far in excess of 100 kilometres (54 nmi).

Heavy Airlift Wing

Heavy Airlift Wing

The Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) is an international military airlift organization based at Pápa Air Base, Hungary. The organization consists of several European states and the United States. It was officially activated on 27 July 2009 as part of the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) program, which purchased and operates three C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft that fly under the national markings of Hungary. The Heavy Airlift Wing is currently commanded by a Colonel from the Swedish Air Force, and is composed of up to 155 military personnel from the 12 participating states; Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United States. Strategic Airlift Capability members send their personnel to work for the Heavy Airlift Wing on temporary or permanent positions.

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previous piston-engined military cargo aircraft, the Douglas C-74 Globemaster and the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II.

Pápa Air Base

Pápa Air Base

Pápa Air Base is a military airbase located near Pápa, Hungary. The building of the airport started in 1936. The Hungarian Air Force has three active air bases, and is the only active air base in western Hungary.

Hungary

Hungary

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning 93,030 square kilometres (35,920 sq mi) of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, and Austria to the west. Hungary has a population of 9.7 million, mostly ethnic Hungarians and a significant Romani minority. Hungarian, the official language, is the world's most widely spoken Uralic language and among the few non-Indo-European languages widely spoken in Europe. Budapest is the country's capital and largest city; other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs, and Győr.

Grob G 120TP

Grob G 120TP

The Grob G 120TP is a two-seat turboprop training and aerobatic low-wing aircraft with a composite airframe, built by Grob Aircraft. It is based on the Grob G 120A training aircraft and has been developed for military and civil pilots training. It has a retractable tricycle landing gear and a low tailplane.

GlobalEye

GlobalEye

GlobalEye is a multi-role airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) platform from Swedish defence and security company Saab. GlobalEye consists of a suite of sensors using Saab's Erieye ER radar and mission system, installed in the Bombardier Global 6000/6500 long-range business jet.

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group General/flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
 Swedish Air Force[37]
Sweden-AirForce-OF-9.svg Sweden-AirForce-OF-8.svg Sweden-AirForce-OF-7.svg Sweden-AirForce-OF-6.svg OF-5 Överste FV hylsa.svg OF-4 Överstelöjtnant FV hylsa.svg OF-3 Major FV hylsa.svg OF-2 Kapten FV hylsa.svg OF-1 Löjtnant FV hylsa.svg OF-1 Fänrik FV hylsa.svg OF-(D) Kadett FV hylsa.svg
General Generallöjtnant Generalmajor Brigadgeneral Överste Överstelöjtnant Major Kapten Löjtnant Fänrik Kadett
Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
 Swedish Air Force[37]
Sweden-AirForce-OR-9 (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-8 (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-7 (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-6b (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-6a (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-5b (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-5a (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-4 (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-3 (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-2b (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-2a (2019).svg
Sweden-AirForce-OR-1c (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-1b (2019).svg Sweden-AirForce-OR-1a (2019).svg
Menig 2 Menig 1 Menig
Flottiljförvaltare Förvaltare Fanjunkare Översergeant Sergeant Överfurir Furir Korpral Vicekorpral Menig 4 Menig 3

Discover more about Ranks related topics

General (Sweden)

General (Sweden)

General (Gen) is a four-star commissioned officer rank in the Swedish Army, Swedish Air Force and Swedish Amphibious Corps. General ranks immediately above lieutenant general and is equivalent to admiral in the Swedish Navy. It is held by the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces and the monarch.

Generallöjtnant

Generallöjtnant

Lieutenant General (LtGen) is a three-star commissioned officer rank in the Swedish Army, Swedish Air Force and Swedish Amphibious Corps. Lieutenant general ranks immediately above major general and below a general. The rank is equivalent to vice admiral in the Swedish Navy.

Generalmajor (Sweden)

Generalmajor (Sweden)

Major General (MajGen) is a two-star commissioned officer rank in the Swedish Army, Swedish Air Force and Swedish Amphibious Corps. Major general ranks immediately above brigadier general and below a lieutenant general. The rank is equivalent to rear admiral in the Swedish Navy.

Brigadgeneral

Brigadgeneral

Brigadier General (BGen) is a one-star commissioned officer rank in the Swedish Army, Swedish Air Force and Swedish Amphibious Corps. Brigadier general ranks immediately above colonel and below a major general. The rank is equivalent to rear admiral in the Swedish Navy.

Major (Sweden)

Major (Sweden)

Major (Maj) is a field grade military officer rank in the Swedish Armed Forces, above the rank of captain and below the rank of lieutenant colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of lieutenant commander in the Swedish Navy.

Kapten

Kapten

Kapten is a company grade officer rank. In the army/airforce, it ranks above lieutenant and below major. In the navy, it ranks above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander. It is equivalent to the specialist officers rank of förvaltare. The rank has been used in Sweden since the Middle Ages.

Löjtnant

Löjtnant

Löjtnant is a company grade officer rank. In the army/airforce, it ranks above second lieutenant and below captain. In the navy, it ranks above acting sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant. It is equivalent to the specialist officers rank of förvaltare. The rank has been used in Sweden since the Middle Ages.

Fänrik

Fänrik

Fänrik is a company grade officer rank. In the army/airforce, it ranks above sergeant and below lieutenant. In the navy, it ranks above sergeant and below sub-lieutenant. It is equivalent to the specialist officers rank of översergeant. Fänrik means standard-bearer and has been used as a name for the lowest officer rank in the Swedish infantry since the 16th century, with the exception of the years 1835–1914.

Kadett

Kadett

Kadett corresponds to Cadet in English and is a term used in Sweden to denote officer candidates studying in order to become an officer. There are basically two ways to become officer as described below.

Enlisted rank

Enlisted rank

An enlisted rank is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States military usage where warrant officers/chief warrant officers are a separate officer category ranking above enlisted grades and below commissioned officer grades. In most cases, enlisted service personnel perform jobs specific to their own occupational specialty, as opposed to the more generalized command responsibilities of commissioned officers. The term "enlistment" refers solely to a military commitment whereas the terms "taken on strength" and "struck off strength" refer to a service member being carried on a given unit's roll.

Förvaltare

Förvaltare

Förvaltare is a Swedish military rank (OR-8) for Specialist Officers above Fanjunkare and below Regementsförvaltare in the army and Flottiljförvaltare in the Air force and is translated to Sergeant Major. The original military meaning of the word 'Förvaltare' was the same as 'Conductor', as in a Warrant Officer Conductor of Ordnance Stores or Quartermaster Stores.

Fanjunkare

Fanjunkare

Fanjunkare (OR-7) is a Swedish military rank above Översergeant and below Förvaltare. The word 'Fanjunkare' is derived from German 'Fahnenjunker', and denotes a standard-bearer, hence 'Colour Sergeant'.

Source: "Swedish Air Force", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 17th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Air_Force.

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Further reading
  • Annerfalk, Anders. Flygvapnet: An Illustrated History of the Swedish Air Force (Ljungsbro: Aviatic Förlag, 1999).
  • Åselius, Gunnar. "Swedish strategic culture after 1945." Cooperation and Conflict 40.1 (2005): 25–44.
  • Böhme, Klaus-Richard. The Growth of the Swedish Aircraft Industry: 1918-1945: the Swedish Air Force and Aircraft Industry (Sunflower University Press, 1988).
  • Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "The End of the Beginning...The Seversky P-35". Air Enthusiast, No. 10, July–September 1979, pp. 8–21. ISSN 0143-5450
  • Owers, Colin (Spring 1994). "Fokker's Fifth: The C.V Multi-role Biplane". Air Enthusiast. No. 53. pp. 60–68. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Silvester, John. "Call to Arms: The Percival Sea Prince and Pembroke". Air Enthusiast, No. 55, Autumn 1994, pp. 56–61. ISSN 0143-5450
  • Weibull, Alise. "The Swedish Armed Forces: Recent Developments and Future Strategy." in Giuseppe Caforio, ed., Cultural Differences between the Military and Parent Society in Democratic Countries (Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2007) pp. 307–312.
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