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38-462: F 17 was established on the Bredåkra moor in 1944 under the name of Kungliga Blekinge Flygflottilj, The Royal Blekinge Air Wing . The moor had been used as a military training ground since the 19th century. The wing was at first mainly used for marine operations, such as torpedo and naval mine deployment. In 1947 the wing was reorganized with bomber squadrons. In 1954 the first jet planes entered service at

76-750: A farmhouse and killed 7 people. 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. 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 . When the Soviet Union attacked Finland in November 1939, Sweden came to its neighbour's assistance but eventually decided not to join

114-575: 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. 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

152-413: A winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper. In the first corner an eagle, wings elevated and displayed, on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle. All décor in yellow." The march "Torsten Rapp" composed by music director Carl Gustaf Ellström was used from 1946 to 1957. "Blekinge flygflottiljs marsch" composed by music director Åke Dohlin was established on 13 June 1984. The march

190-682: Is also stationed here. F 17 has detachments on Gotland (F 17 G), on Malmen airport near Linköping (F 17 M) and in Hästveda , an urban area in the Hässleholm Municipality . The wing uses the coat of arms of Blekinge as the emblem. Current fleet: The first coat of arms of the Blekinge Wing was used from 1944 to 1994. Blazon : "Azure, the provincial badge of Blekinge, an oak, the trunk enfiled with three open crowns, all or." The current coat of arms has been used since 1994. Blazon: "Azure,

228-507: Is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces . 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. When World War II broke out in 1939 further expansion was initiated and this substantial expansion

266-685: The Air Staff purchased the best it could find from abroad, e.g. P-51 D 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

304-542: The Grob G 120TP as its new Basic Trainer Aircraft, designated SK 40. 10 aircraft have been ordered and delivered but due to work environment problems caused by high workload the implementation of the new planes have been put on hold temporarily. 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

342-626: 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. 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. 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

380-548: 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: The air transport units perform airlift operations, and are used in both national and in international missions. The unit also organizes

418-455: The forward air control airborne mission profile for better air-ground coordination. In the same year, 60 further modified E class Gripens were ordered with the first plane to join the Air force in 2018. 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. In November 2022,

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456-469: The 1950s, about 21 pilots were killed annually. 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 started to become a consideration, not due to the death toll but because the aircraft were getting increasingly expensive. In October 1960, a Lansen fighter crashed into

494-534: 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

532-639: The A version. 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 F414 G. It carries more fuel and weapons. The upgrade also includes new weapon systems like the Meteor missile system . In 2013, Saab signed an agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration for 60 new Gripen in

570-435: The E version. The first aircraft is to join the Swedish Air Force by 2018. JAS 39C is expected to remain in service until 2030. The Swedish C-130 Hercules (TP 84) were bought from the United States in the 1960s and has been updated several times. 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

608-577: The King Carl XVI Gustaf on 25 August 1996. The colour is drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory. The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Wing (F 10) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Wing (F 16) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003. Blazon: "On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force;

646-656: The Strategic Defence 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. 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

684-509: The Swedish part of the Heavy Airlift Wing in Hungary . Signals reconnaissance units conduct electronic combat reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. The Swedish Air Force is being adapted to new future tasks. Today about 80 Gripen C/D fighters remain in service. Some orders have been made and 60 new Jas 39 Gripen E units will join the air force in the coming years. Saab has also joined

722-521: 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. 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, with about 1,000 modern planes in front-line service. During

760-539: The centre the badge of the Air Force; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper, all in yellow. In the first corner the provincial badge of Blekinge ; an oak enfiled with three open crown, all in yellow." Decor through inserting and embroidery. A new colour was presented to the wing at Kallinge by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf on 15 April 2004. The colour is drawn by Kristina Holmgård-Åkerberg and embroidered by hand in insertion technique by

798-410: The company Libraria. Blazon: "On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper. In the first corner the provincial badge of Blekinge ; an oak enfiled with three open crowns; in the second corner the town badge of Kalmar ; from a waved base a yellow tower embattled issuant between two mullets (a legacy from the former Kalmar Wing , F 12), in

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836-430: The current fleet. As part of the Heavy Airlift Wing cooperation, Sweden also operates three Boeing C-17 which are located at Pápa Air Base in Hungary . Sweden used the Saab 105 as the primary jet-trainer until phase out per June 2024. About 40 planes were operational. Designed in the 1960s the aircraft is starting to show its age and were gradually phased out from active service. The Swedish Air Force has selected

874-561: 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

912-538: The new RB-68 Bloodhound systems in 2 squadrons until 1974. These Swedish units also operated the RB-68 missile system (1 squadron each): 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. 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

950-458: 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. In 2013, the USMC introduced Swedish helicopter units to

988-454: The provincial badge of Blekinge, an oak, the trunk enfiled with three open crowns, a chief over a string, charged with a winged twobladed propeller, all or." Blekinge Wing presents one wing colour and one school colour. The first colour was presented to the wing at Svea Air Corps (F 8) at Barkarby Airport by His Majesty the King Gustaf V on 17 September 1944. Blazon : "On blue cloth in

1026-427: The sector wing commander at F 17 was not awarded the rank of senior colonel . From 1 July 1981, the commanding officer is again referred to as flottiljchef ("wing commander"), and had the rank of colonel. In order to relieve the sector wing commander, a deputy sector wing commander position was added in 1978. Its task was to lead the unit procurement, a task largely similar to the old wing commander position. Hence he

1064-460: The third corner the provincial badge of Scania ; an erazed head of a griffin with an open crown (a legacy from the former Scania Wing , F 10) and in the fourth corner an eagle, wings elevated and displayed, on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle (a legacy from the former Swedish Air Force Flying School , F 5). All décor in yellow." The colour was originally presented to the then Swedish Air Force Flying School (F 5) by His Majesty

1102-462: 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. 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

1140-542: The wing, as a part of the Swedish Air Force 's transition to jet aircraft. In 1973 another transition took place when F 17 received two squadrons with J 35 Draken from the former Östgöta Wing (F 3). From 1976 to 1978, F 17 was a pure "Air-to-air" fighter wing with the two squadrons of J 35 aircraft. In 1978 one of these was replaced with a modern reconnaissance squadron equipped with the then state-of-the-art SF/SH 37 Viggen aircraft. The remaining J 35 Draken squadron

1178-490: Was also referred to as flottiljchef ("wing commander"). The deputy sector wing commander had the rank of colonel. On 30 June 1981, the deputy sector wing commander position was terminated, when the sector responsibility was transferred to the Scania Wing (F 10). 56°15′19″N 15°17′04″E  /  56.2553°N 15.2844°E  / 56.2553; 15.2844 Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( Swedish : Svenska flygvapnet or just Flygvapnet )

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1216-577: 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. 24 Gripen A/B in storage 120 C/D/E units are projected to be operational. 2 pledged to Ukraine. Note: Three C-17 Globemaster III 's are available through the Heavy Airlift Wing based in Hungary There are four fighter wings: The aviation units that were formerly under

1254-458: Was commissioned by F 17 in 1984 in connection with the wing's 40th anniversary. From 1944 to 1978, the commanding officers was referred to as flottiljchef ("wing commander"), and had during the wings first years the rank of lieutenant colonel . From 1947, the wing commander got the rank of colonel . From 1974 to 1981, the wing commander was referred to as sektorflottiljchef ("sector wing commander"). Unlike sector wing commanders at other wings,

1292-423: 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

1330-496: Was replaced with JA 37 Viggen in 1982. In 1993 the reconnaissance squadron was moved to the Scania Wing (F 10), and was replaced with a JA 37 squadron from the closed Bråvalla Wing (F 13). Once again F 17 became an air-to-air only wing. F 17 is since 2002 equipped with two squadrons of JAS 39 Gripen , as the old JA 37 Viggen aircraft is phased out. Parts of the Swedish helicopter forces are today stationed at F 17 with antisubmarine warfare as their main task. A rescue helicopter

1368-490: Was scheduled for 2027. The contract also includes the option to procure up to 2 additional GlobalEye aircraft. After pledging current Saab ASC 890 platforms to Ukraine, the GlobalEye delivery was rushed and 1 additional aircraft was ordered. The rank insignia of commissioned officers . The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel . Uppland Wing Too Many Requests If you report this error to

1406-451: Was surrounded by countries at war and could not rely on imported oil . Instead domestic oil shale was heated to produce the needed petrol. About 250 aircrew were killed in crashes 1939-1945 according to statistics that were not disclosed during the war years but published afterwards. The Swedish Air Force underwent a rapid modernization from 1945. It was no longer politically acceptable to equip it with second-rate aircraft types. Instead,

1444-440: 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

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