The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the
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 ...
branch
A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' twig'' usuall ...
of the
Swedish Armed Forces.
History
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
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
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 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 i ...
s. 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.
About 250 aircrew were killed in crashes 1939-1945 according to statistics that were not disclosed during the war years but published afterwards.
Expansion during the Cold War
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
Bas 60 (''Flygbassystem 60'', Air Base System 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
An aircraft is a vehicle that is abl ...
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.
During the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to 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 t ...
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 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
The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...
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 missile
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...
s.
Svea Air Corps
Svea Air Corps ( sv, Svea flygkår), also F 8 Barkarby, or simply F 8, is a former Swedish Air Force air corps wing with the main base located in Barkarby just north of the capital Stockholm on the east coast.
History
The meadows in the area we ...
(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):
*
Scania Wing
Scania Wing ( sv, Skånska flygflottiljen), also F 10 Ängelholm, or simply F 10, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located in southernmost Sweden.
History
The tenth wing initially started as a detachment located at Svea Win ...
, also F 10 Ängelholm
*
Kalmar Wing, also F 12 Kalmar,
*
Bråvalla Wing
Bråvalla Wing ( sv, Bråvalla flygflottilj), also F 13 Norrköping, or simply F 13, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Norrköping in south-eastern Sweden.
History
The Air Wing was established in 1943 as the fourt ...
, also F 13 Norrköping
*
Blekinge Wing
Blekinge Wing ( sv, Blekinge flygflottilj), 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 squadr ...
, also F 17 Kallinge,
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. 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.
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.
In October 1960, a Lansen fighter crashed into 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.
War service
The Swedish Air Force has been involved in three wars, the Finno-Soviet
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
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
The Swedish Air Force saw combat as part of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
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 Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to 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 t ...
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.
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.
Current Inventory
Aircraft
Note: Three
C-17 Globemaster III's are available through the
Heavy Airlift Wing based in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning 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, Cr ...
Weapons
Organization
Fighter units
There are four wings of
fighters
Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to:
Combat and warfare
* Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict
* Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...
:
*
Skaraborg Wing (F 7)
** Located at
Såtenäs
Såtenäs () is a smaller locality situated in Lidköping Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. Såtenäs is located at Vänern's southwestern part about 32 kilometers from Lidköping and 32 kilometers from Trollhättan.
Most of Såten ...
outside
Lidköping, operates JAS 39C/D.
*
Blekinge Wing
Blekinge Wing ( sv, Blekinge flygflottilj), 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 squadr ...
(F 17)
** Located at
Kallinge in
Ronneby, operates JAS 39C/D.
*
Norrbotten Wing (F 21)
** Located at
Kallax in
Luleå, operates JAS 39C/D.
*
Uppland Wing (F 16)
** Located at Ärna airport in
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Located north of the ca ...
. Reestablished in 2021
Helicopter units
The aviation units that were formerly under the
Swedish Army ("") and the
Swedish Navy
The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps ().
In Swedish, vessels ...
("") have been merged with the helicopter units of the Air Force to form the single
Helicopter Wing () for the entire Armed Forces. The wing has been placed under the authority of the Air Force and consists of:
* 1st Helicopter Squadron (, abbreviated )
**
Kallax in
Luleå (co-located with
F 21), operates Hkp 14.
* 2nd Helicopter Squadron (, abbreviated )
**
Malmen in
Linköping, operates Hkp 15 and Hkp 16.
* 3rd Helicopter Squadron (, abbreviated )
**
Kallinge in
Ronneby (co-located with
F 17), operates Hkp 14 and Hkp 15.
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
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning 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, Cr ...
. Signals reconnaissance units conduct electronic combat reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
* 71st Air Transport Division ( abbreviated )
** Co-located with
F 7
* 7th Transport and Special Air Unit (, abbreviated )
** Co-located with
F 7
Future of the Swedish Air Force
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.
Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors responded to the Russian purchase of
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" (french: links=no, bâtiments de projection et de commandement or BPC), a ' ...
s by saying that the Swedish Air Force would need "sea targeting capabilities".
In 2013, the USMC introduced Swedish helicopter units to 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. In April 2014, the Swedish government proposed another 10 fighters making the total order 70 planes.
By 2019 there were also plans to keep some of the Gripen C aircraft in service to keep numbers of fighters at current levels.
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.
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. 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. There are also plans to buy further 10 aircraft.
JAS 39C is expected to remain in service until 2030.
Military transport aircraft
The Swedish
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desi ...
(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.
As part of the
Heavy Airlift Wing cooperation, Sweden also operate three
Boeing C-17
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 t ...
which are located at
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.
During World War II, severa ...
in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning 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, Cr ...
.
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.
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.
Ranks
;Commissioned officer ranks
The rank insignia of
commissioned officers.
;Other ranks
The rank insignia of
non-commissioned officers and
enlisted personnel.
See also
*
Chief of Air Force (Sweden)
Chief of Air Force ( sv, Flygvapenchef, FVC) is the most senior appointment in the Swedish Air Force. The position Chief of Air Force was introduced in 1926 and the current form in 2014.
History
The position and the staff agency "Chief of the Air ...
*
Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
*
List of air forces
This alphabetically arranged list of air forces identifies the current and historical names and roundels for the military aviation arms of countries fielding an air component, whether an independent air forces, a naval aviation, or army aviation u ...
*
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.
Early aircraft
Early balloons of the Army and Navy
Early Navy
(The aviation cor ...
*
Swedish Air Force Museum
*
Swedish Air Force Historic Flight
Swedish Air Force Historic Flight (abbreviated in Swedish as SwAFHF ) is an association that flies former Swedish Air Force aircraft and maintains them in an airworthy condition. SwAFHF has been active since 1998 and is housed in premises of t ...
People
*
Bengt Nordenskiöld
General Bengt Gustafsson (G:son) Nordenskiöld (6September 1891 – 28January 1983) was a Swedish Air Force officer who served as Chief of the Air Force from 1942 to 1954. In 1910 Nordenskiöld started his military career as a voluntee ...
*
Lars Olausson
References
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.
*
* Silvester, John. "Call to Arms: The Percival Sea Prince and Pembroke". ''Air Enthusiast'', No. 55, Autumn 1994, pp. 56–61.
* 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.
External links
Swedish Air Force – Official siteSwedish Air Force Historical Flight, SwAFHF
Information on Swedish military aviationSunneberg – Information on Swedish aircraft
{{Authority control
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 ...
Military units and formations established in 1926
1926 establishments in Sweden