Eskadrille 721 of the
Royal Danish Air Force
The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...
is the sole
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
in 'Air Transport Wing Aalborg' of the
Danish Defence
Danish Defence ( da, Forsvaret, fo, Danska verjan, kl, Illersuisut) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its constituent, self-governing nations Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The De ...
. It provides tactical transport for all parts of the
Danish state.
History
Eskadrille 721 (721 Squadron) was formed on 1 October 1950, when the
Royal Danish Air Force
The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...
(''Flyvevåbnet'') was formed by merging the ''Marinens Flyvevæsen'' (Danish Naval Air Service) and ''Hærens Flyvertropper'' (Danish Army Air Corps), with Eskadrille 721 incorporating the aircraft of the 1st and 2nd ''Luftflotille'' of the Naval Air Service, together with the Greenland flight of the Army Air Corps, with the role of transport (including support for operations in Greenland, together with
Search and Rescue operations.
[Nikolajsen 1970, p.18.]
Present activity
Since 2004 the air wing is located at
Flyvestation Aalborg, in the Northern part of
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
peninsula.
The main role for the air wing is to provide tactical transport capacity with its C-130's.
The Challengers provide both VIP-transportation for the Royal Court of Denmark and other government officials, and has the option to be equipped with airborne radar for surveillance.
Current equipment
Currently Eskadrille 721 operates:
* 4
Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules
The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems.
The C-130J is the newest v ...
* 4
Bombardier CL-604 Challenger[Augustesen 2015, p. 82.]
* 4
Saab T-17 Supporter
See also
*
Danish Defence
Danish Defence ( da, Forsvaret, fo, Danska verjan, kl, Illersuisut) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its constituent, self-governing nations Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The De ...
References
* Augustesen, Sören. "Denmark's Challengers". ''
Air International'', April 2015, Vol. 88, No. 4. pp. 82–85.
* Nikolajsen, O. "Arctic Specialists: History of No.721 Squadron, Royal Danish Air Force". ''Air Pictorial'', January 1970, Vol. 32, No. 1. pp. 16–18.
External links
About Eskadrille 721(in Danish)
{{Military of Denmark
Danish Air Force squadrons