Swedish Air Force
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Flygvapnet |
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 Swedish Air Force coat of arms |
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| Lineup | July 1, 1926 |
| Country |
 Sweden
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| Armed forces |
 Swedish Armed Forces
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| Conflicts |
Winter War Congo Crisis ISAF Military Operation in Libya 2011 |
| Befälhavare | |
| Flygvapenchef | Major General Mats Helgesson |
| insignia | |
| Aircraft cockade |
 
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| National emblem ( vertical stabilizer ) |
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| Aircraft | |
| Interceptor | Saab 39 Gripen |
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Reconnaissance aircraft / helicopter |
Saab 340 Gulfstream IV |
| education | Saab 105 |
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Transport aircraft / helicopter |
Lockheed C-130 Hercules Aérospatiale AS 332 NH90 Agusta A109 Sikorsky UH-60 |
The Swedish Air Force ( Swedish Flygvapnet ) is a branch of the armed forces of Sweden .
history
Early years and World War II
The Swedish Air Force was created in 1926 as a separate organization within the Swedish armed forces, before that it was integrated into the army. Sweden supported Finland in 1940 between the Soviet Union and Finland discharged Winter War with twelve Gloster Gladiator aircraft intended and personnel.
Cold War
Sweden was sandwiched between two rival power blocs during the Cold War . The western neighbor Norway had been a member of NATO since 1949 , in the northeast only Finland, also neutral, separated Sweden from the USSR .
The doctrine arose that Sweden should be able to defend itself against an opponent at any time. In the 1960s, for example, the Swedish Air Force owned 1,000 combat aircraft in order to secure the airspace and, in an emergency, to achieve air superiority . This z. B. 120 aircraft of the type Hawker Hunter used alone .
According to the operational doctrine, STOL characteristics were required for the Swedish aircraft (mostly manufactured by Saab ) (Swedish combat aircraft should be able to take off and land on short roads and unprepared runways if their actual bases would have been unusable by enemy air strikes).
Congo crisis
On June 30, 1960, Belgium released the Belgian Congo colony (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo , also Zaire or Congo-Kinshasa ) into independence . In September 1960 there was a constitutional crisis and in early 1961 the country was split into several parts. The United Nations decided to act and to send blue helmet soldiers to the Congo (Operation “ UNOC ”).
The Swedish Air Force supported this mission from October 1961 to April 1963 with eleven Saab 29 Tunnans and an association called F 22 . The Swedish leadership decided to return only four Saab 29 to Sweden; for national defense, the planes were already out of date and no longer needed. The majority remained in the Congo or were blown up when the Swedish troops withdrew.
End of the cold war and the new millennium
With the end of the Cold War in 1991 and the establishment of the Partnership for Peace ( PfP ) in 1994, the external threat disappeared and with it the justification for maintaining such a large army (and air force). The Swedish Air Force had to reorient and structure itself. Associations were dissolved, air bases and other properties were closed. This affected the military airfields Ljungbyhed , Karlsborg , Norrköping and Söderhamn .
After the turn of the millennium, three more airfields were closed, so that the majority of Swedish military airfields have been in the south of the country since then. The Swedish Air Force now (as of 2013) operates 300 aircraft, four of which are operational squadrons with Saab 39 Gripen as interceptors, two in Luleå and two in Ronneby . The training squadron for the type is located in Satenås .
From June 2003 to June 2004 a Swedish airport unit operated Kindu Airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo .
In order to prepare for international missions and to increase the experience of their pilots, Sweden is now also taking part in large-scale exercises such as Red Flag , around the beginning of 2013.
Mission in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan within the framework of ISAF
The Swedish armed forces have been participating in the international ISAF military operation in Afghanistan since 2002 . For this purpose, C-130 transport aircraft were first stationed in Termez in Uzbekistan (2002-2004) and then until 2012 at Mazar-e-Sharif airport . In 2004, soldiers of the Swedish Air Force also supported the camp in Mazar-e-Sharif , where they were deployed as flight operations specialists. In addition, Blackhawk helicopters were stationed there for Medevac missions from the beginning of April 2013 to mid-May 2014 .
Use over Libya
The Flygvapnet supported the international military operation in Libya 2011 through the use of eight combat aircraft of the type Saab JAS 39 Gripen , a S 102 Korpen ( Gulfstream IV ) to investigate electronic and telecommunications signals ( SIGINT ), a transport plane C-130 Hercules and a quota of about 130 soldiers. The Gripen fighter planes were only available to the international forces for reconnaissance purposes, but not for ground attacks. This restriction was a prerequisite for the Social Democrats' approval of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's motion by the minority government in the Swedish Reichstag . During the mission, Swedish combat aircraft flew around 580 reconnaissance missions.
outlook
The Swedish Air Force has been planning to renew its air transport capacities since the beginning of 2014. Due to their decreasing availability, the C-130H will be replaced by a new pattern, e.g. B. the newer version C-130J, also the purchase of one or more Embraer KC-390 is considered. The aircraft with the additional ability to refuel in the air are to ensure the training of the Gripen crews so that they can continue to use them in missions such as over Libya. The merging of the pilot training with other nations is also being considered.
organization
Swedish Air Force commanders
The Swedish Air Force is commanded by a commanding officer in the rank of major general . From 1926 to 1998 the official designation was Flygvapenchef , from 1998 to 2003 General Inspector för flygvapnet , from 2003 to 2013 Flygvapeninspectör and since 2014 again Flygvapenchef .
List of commanders
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Flygvapenchefer
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General inspector for flygvapnet
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Flygvapen inspector
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Flygvapenchefer
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Rank badge
The rank structure of the Swedish armed forces has been adapted to the NATO structure in recent years (most recently in 2009), while the uniform designation according to STANAG 2116 ( OF- for officers, OR- for other ranks ) was adopted.
| Flyg- vapnet |
Teams | NCOs | Officers | |||||||||||||||||
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| OR-1 | OR-2 | OR-3 | OR-4 | OR-5 | OR-6 | OR-7 | OR-8 | OR-9 | OF-1 | OF-2 | OF-3 | OF-4 | OF-5 | OF-6 | OF-7 | OF-8 | OF-9 | |||
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| Menig | Menig 1 class 2 | Vicekorpral | Corpral | sergeant | Forester sergeant | Fanjunkare | Förvaltare |
Flottilj- förvaltare |
Fänrik | Löjtnant | Kapten | major |
Överste- löjtnant |
Överste |
Brigadier General |
Major General |
General solicitor |
general | ||
education
The training of the pilots of the Swedish Air Force takes place for prospective jet pilots and transport pilots at the Flygskolan in Linköping . This is where the eleven-month training takes place before the pilots are assigned to an appropriate association. The training is mainly carried out on the Sk 60. Pilots intended for the Gripen will then be retrained for about a year with the F7 squadron in Satenäs on the JAS 39 and then transferred to Luleå (F21) or Blekinge (F17).
Helicopter pilots are trained in cooperation with the Bundeswehr at the International Helicopter Training Center in Bückeburg .
equipment
The weapon systems of the Swedish Air Force often do not have the name of the manufacturer, but their own designations that indicate the intended use. For example, “Tp” is used for transport aircraft, “Hkp” for helicopters (helicopters).
| Aircraft type | country | use | Versions | number of pieces | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saab JAS 39 Gripen |
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Multipurpose fighter | JAS 39A / B / C / D | 104/12/56/12 | 12 C- and two D-version aircraft were leased by the Czech Republic . 14 machines of the C / D version were sold to Hungary . In the future, the E version of the aircraft will replace some of the C version aircraft. |
| Saab 340 |
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Transport / AEW & C | Tp 100 / S100 B Argus | 3 | |
| Saab 32 Lansen |
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Interceptor fighter-bomber |
J 32 B | 2 | The aircraft are used exclusively to collect air samples, for example after volcanic eruptions, and then fly on behalf of the Swedish Ministry of the Environment. |
| Saab 105 |
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Trainer | Sk 60 | 80 (35 airworthy) | Operated and approved by Saab, but owned by the Swedish state |
| Gulfstream IV |
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SIGINT | S 102 B | 2 | |
| VIP transportation | Tp 102 | 2 | |||
| Lockheed C-130 |
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transport | Type 84A / B / C / D | 8th | |
| AS 332 Super Puma |
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Transport helicopter / Medevac |
Hkp 10A / 10B / 10D | 0 | formerly 12, of which 3 crashed. Remaining 9 out of service October 14, 2015 |
| NH Industries NH90 |
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Transport helicopter | Hkp 14 | 4th | 18 ordered, delivery of all helicopters will not be completed before 2017. |
| Agusta A109 |
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Transport helicopter | Hkp 15 | 20th | |
| Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk |
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Transport helicopter | Hkp 16 | 4th | 15 ordered to fill the capability gaps caused by the late arrival of the NH90. |
| Elbit Skylark |
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UAV | UAV 02 SUAV falcon | ||
| AAI RQ-7 |
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UAV | UAV 03 Örnen |
Saab 340
The Saab 340 is used in the Swedish Air Force as S100D and S102B , stationed at Malmen Airfield near Linköping with squadrons 72 (S100D) and 73 (S102B). The S100D machines for air surveillance are derivatives of the civilian Saab 340 series with a radar on the fuselage similar to the much larger Boeing E-3 AWACS , while the S102B aircraft are used for signals intelligence , i.e. electronic intelligence (ELINT) , and use their sensors to intercept emissions from other aircraft and radar stations.
Air defense systems
- StriC - command and information system
- 860 radar system
- 870 radar system
Airfields and units
   
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The Swedish Air Force currently operates (July 2013) four air bases , three of them in the south of the country. The F 7 squadron , a school association, is stationed in Såtenäs , and the base for the C-130 transport aircraft (at the Transport & Specialflygenhet, TSFE), while the Blekinge airfield near Ronneby houses the F 17 association with two squadrons (171. and 172.) and in the fourth largest city in Sweden, Uppsala , the air combat school ( Luftstridsskolan , LSS) is stationed. The only unit in the north of the country is the F 21 squadron in Luleå .
During the Cold War, the Flygvapnet had fifteen other airfields.
Current associations
| Flygvapnet Associations (2014) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squadron level | Relay level | base | comment | |
| F 7 Såtenäs | 71st Transport Flyg Divisions | Såtenäs | Equipped with Transportflygplan 84 (Tp 84) | |
| 72nd Ledningsflyg Divisions | Såtenäs / Malmslätt | Ground station for guiding combat aircraft | ||
| 73. Signalspaningsflygdivisions | Såtenäs / Malmslätt | Equipped with Signalspaningsflygplan 102B (S 102B) | ||
| 73. Signal and transport flyg divisions | Såtenäs / Stockholm | Equipped with Transportflygplan 102 (Tp 102) | ||
| Luftstridsskolan | 162. Stridsledningsbataljonen 04 | Uppsala | ||
| F 17 Kallinge | 171. Stridsflyg Divisions | Ronneby | Equipped with Saab 39 Gripen | |
| 172. Stridsflyg Divisions | Ronneby | Equipped with Saab 39 Gripen | ||
| 172. Flygbasbataljonen 04 | Ronneby | |||
| F 21 Luleå | 211. Stridsflyg Divisions | Luleå | Equipped with Saab 39 Gripen | |
| 212. Stridsflyg Divisions | Luleå | Equipped with Saab 39 Gripen | ||
| 212. Regionala transportflygdivisions | Luleå / Såtenäs | Transportflygplan 100 (Tp 100) | ||
| 218. Flygbasbataljonen 04 | Luleå | |||
| Helicopter flotilla | Helicopter batons | Malmslätt, Såtenäs, Luleå, Ronneby | ||
Strategic Airlift Capability
The Swedish Air Force does not have its own aircraft for strategic air transport.Instead, the country participates in the Strategic Airlift Capability , an association of currently twelve nations that operate three Boeing C-17 aircraft at the Hungarian Air Force Base Papá .
literature
- Christian F. Anrig: Flygvapnet. The Swedish Air Force is changing. Air Power Revue No. 4, 2005.
- Christian Braunstein: Svenska flygvapnets förband och skolor under 1900-talet . Ed .: Statens försvarshistoriska museer. Stockholm 2005, ISBN 91-971584-8-8 .
- Lennart Andersson: Svenska flygbaser , Svensk Flyghistorisk Förening, Stockholm 2008, ISSN 0345-3413 (Swedish)
Web links
- Flygvapenblogging . Official blog of the Swedish Armed Forces with information on the Flygvapnet associations and their missions abroad.
Individual evidence
- ^ Craig Hoyle: Sweden acts smart to deliver 'complete air force'. Flightglobal, November 23, 2012, accessed July 9, 2013 .
- ↑ David J. Griffin: Hawker Hunter . In UK and Foreign Service. 1951-2007. Ed .: Lulu Enterprises. Morrisville, North Carolina 2007, ISBN 978-1-4303-0593-4 , pp. 431-445 ( Google Books [accessed January 16, 2015]).
- ^ Mark Brzezinski: A Visit to Nellis Air Force Base With Swedish Friends. (No longer available online.) Brzezinski Blog, January 28, 2013, archived from the original on March 4, 2013 ; accessed on July 12, 2013 (English): "The Swedes brought pilots, maintenance personnel and support teams, and of course Saab's JAS Gripen aircraft. In all, the Swedes had 112 personnel and 8 JAS Gripen aircraft taking part in this prestigious exercise. ” Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Afghanistan - ISAF. (No longer available online.) Försvarsmakten (Swedish Armed Forces), archived from the original on March 20, 2015 ; accessed on January 13, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Gareth Jennings: Sweden ends Afghan Black Hawk deployment. (No longer available online.) In: Janes.com ( Jane's Information Group ). May 27, 2014, archived from the original on August 26, 2014 ; Retrieved on August 23, 2014 (English): “The Swedish Armed Forces (SAF) has withdrawn its Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk (HKP 16) utility helicopters from operations in Afghanistan after a year in theater, a senior service official told IHS Jane's on 27 May. “ Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Svenskt i deltagande the internation ella militära insatsen i Libya. (PDF; 159 kB) (No longer available online.) Swedish Government, archived from the original on January 11, 2012 ; Retrieved April 3, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Micael Bydén et al .: European Air Power . Challenges and Opportunities. Ed .: John Andreas Olsen. 1st edition. Potomac Books, 2014, ISBN 978-1-61234-681-6 , Chapter 7: Swedish Air Power. Delivering Indepently, Joint and Combined, pp. 170–184 ( limited preview in Google Book Search - the author of the chapter, Micael Byden, is the commander of the Swedish Air Force).
- ↑ Craig Hoyle: Swedish air force studies airlift, trainer renewal options. In: Flightglobal.com. March 18, 2014, accessed March 18, 2014 .
- ^ Bjorn Hellenius, Philip Stevens: Gripens look East . In: Air Forces Monthly . No. 6 . Key Publishing, June 2015, ISSN 0306-5634 , p. 62-66 .
- ↑ Mats Gyllander: Drömmen blev Verklighet. Swedish Air Force, January 23, 2015, accessed February 6, 2015 (Swedish).
- ↑ Swedish FMV awards Gripen E development contract to Saab. Airforce-Technology.com, March 27, 2013, accessed on July 12, 2013 (English): “Representing second order under the original SEK47.2bn ($ 7.4bn) agreement signed between the company and FMV in February 2013, the SEK10.7m ($ 1.64M) award covers definition and development work, alongside adaptation of test and trial equipment, simulators and rigs, during the 2015–2023 timeframe. "
- ↑ Marie Alpman: Askprovtagning Görs med Lansen. (No longer available online.) NyTeknik (online edition), May 5, 2010, archived from the original on May 7, 2010 ; Retrieved July 13, 2013 (Swedish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Försvarets Materielverk - Historiskt avtal ger besparingar för försvaret. (No longer available online.) Fmv.se, December 19, 2008, archived from the original on August 22, 2010 ; Retrieved October 15, 2011 (Swedish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Försvarets materielverk - Flygunderhåll i privat regi. (No longer available online.) Fmv.se, August 11, 2009, archived from the original on August 22, 2010 ; Retrieved October 15, 2011 (Swedish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Swedish military retires last Super Puma, Flightglobal, October 20, 2015
- ↑ På plats för första, men inte sista, gången. (No longer available online.) Forsvarsmakten.se, September 15, 2011, formerly in the original ; Retrieved September 17, 2011 (Swedish). ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Tweet Stockholm TT: Utredare: Köp nya helikoptrar | Inrikes | SvD. Svd.se, accessed March 29, 2011 (Swedish).
- ↑ Nyhetsbrev March 23, 2011. (No longer available online.) Forsvarsmakten.se, March 23, 2011, archived from the original on August 12, 2011 ; Retrieved November 17, 2011 (Swedish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Magnus Westerlund: Hökarna har landat. Flygvapenbloggen, December 15, 2012, accessed July 12, 2013 (Swedish, article describes the arrival of the first Black Hawk helicopters and the briefing of the Swedish crews by personnel from the American armed forces).
- ↑ Sverige köper 15 Black Hawk. SvD Nyheter (online edition), April 9, 2011, accessed July 13, 2013 (Swedish).
- ↑ Falken SUAV systems. (No longer available online.) Försvarsmakten, archived from the original on July 5, 2011 ; Retrieved July 13, 2013 (Swedish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ UAV 03 Örnen. (No longer available online.) Försvarsmakten, archived from the original on November 12, 2011 ; Retrieved July 13, 2013 (Swedish). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Ögon och öron Bortom horisonten. In: forsvarsmakten.se. Försvarsmakten, August 31, 2015, accessed October 4, 2015 (se).
- ↑ Edwin Borremans, Stefan Degraef: One Seven One . In: Air International . No. 1/2015 . Key Publishing, 2015, p. 100-107 .
Swedish Army (Armén) |
Swedish Navy (Marines) |
Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) |
Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet) 
Karl Amundson (1926–1931) • Eric Virgin (1931–1934) • Torsten Friis (1934–1942) • Bengt Nordenskiöld (1942–1954) • Axel Ljungdahl (1954–1960) • Torsten Rapp (1960–1961) • Thunberg location (1961–1968) • Claes Henrik Nordenskiöld (1968) • Stig Norén (1968–1973) • Dick Stenberg (1973–1982) • Sven-Olof Olson (1982–1988) • Lars-Erik Englund (1988–1994) • Kent Harrskog (1994–1998) • Jan Jonsson (1998–2000) • Mats Nilsson (2000–2002) • Jan Andersson (2002–2008) • Anders Silwer (2008–2011) • Micael Bydén (2012–2015) • Mats Helgesson ( since 2015)