Swedish Air Force

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Image:Swedish Air Force.png Image:Flygvapnet roundel.svg

The Swedish Air Force (Swedish: Flygvapnet, literally "Flying Weapon") is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces, the military of Sweden.

1 History
2 Organization
- 2.1 Fighter Units
- 2.2 Helicopter Units
3 Aircraft
4 See also
5 External links
6 Sources

[edit] History

The Swedish Air Force was organized in 1925 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 4 to 7 flotillas. 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 Two 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.

[edit] Organization

[edit] Fighter Units

Three wings of fighters:

Skaraborg Air Force Wing (F 7)
- Located at Såtenäs outside Lidköping
Blekinge Air Force Wing (F 17)
- Located at Kallinge in Ronneby
Norrbotten Air Force Wing (F 21)
- Located at Kallax in Luleå

[edit] Helicopter Units

Image:Swedish-HKP4.jpg

The aviation units that formerly were under the Swedish Army ("Arméflyget") and the Royal 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. hkpskv)
- Located at Boden (former Army Aviation unit) and Östersund (at F 4)
2nd Helicopter Squadron (2. hkpskv)
- Located at Berga (former Navy Aviation unit) and Uppsala (at F 16)
3rd Helicopter Squadron (3. hkpskv)
- Located at Ronneby (at F 17)
Helicopter Squadron Malmen (Hkpflj/Malmen), former 4th Helicopter Battalion (4. hkpbat)
- Located at Linköping/Malmen (former Army Aviation unit)
5th Helicopter Squadron (5. hkpskv)
- Located at Göteborg City Airport (former Navy Aviation unit) and Såtenäs (at F 7),

[edit] Aircraft

Image:Swedish JAS-39 Gripen landing.jpg It is currently deploying the Saab Gripen for service. Gripen, designated JAS 39 Gripen, (the designation JAS stands for Jakt (Air-to-Air), Attack (Air-to-Surface) and Spaning (Reconnaissance) and means every Gripen can fulfill all three mission types) is a modern multi-role fighter designed to replace Draken and Viggen. Capabilities of Gripen include a very short runway requirement, advanced data link equipment, and canard delta design with lateral instability and fly-by-wire.

[edit] See also

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Lists relating to aviation

Timeline of aviation
Aircraft • Aircraft manufacturers • Aircraft engines • Aircraft engine manufacturers • Airports • Airlines
Air forces • Aircraft weapons • Missiles • Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) • Experimental aircraft
Notable airline accidents and incidents • Famous aviation-related deaths

[edit] External links

Image:Commons-logo.svg

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Swedish Air Force

Swedish Air Force - Official site (Swedish)

[edit] Sources

[1] [2]

Swedish Armed Forces
Image:Swedish Army.svg	Image:Swedish Navy.svg	Image:Swedish Air Force.png	Image:Swedish Home Guard.svg
Army	Navy	Air Force	Home Guard