Military Hans Högman
Copyright © Hans Högman 2022-06-12

Military Aircraft of the Swedish Air Force

Air Force 1936 –

The Swedish Air Force was established as an independent armed service on 1 July 1926. However, already in the 1910s, there were aviation activities in the Army. The first army flight took place on the ice outside Stockholm in 1912. The Navy was also early with aviation and in February 1919 the Navy established a winter flying training school in Hägernäs just north of Stockholm. At this time air reconnaissance was the most important mission for military aviation. The 1925 Swedish Defense Act included the creation of an independent Air Force from 1926, with the Chief of the Air Force taking up his post on 1 July 1925. In 1936, a major effort was launched for the Air Force. The investment also meant the creation of a Swedish aerospace industry when Saab was founded in 1937. For more information, see History of the Swedish Air Force.

Swedish Air Force Designations for Military Aircraft

The Swedish military aircraft have a designation that has a prefix consisting of one or more letters followed by 2 digits and ending with a suffix that is also a letter. The aircraft usually also has a name in addition to the designation, for example, J 35A Draken. The prefix indicates the type of aircraft in terms of its use. The numbers are the model designation and the suffix the version of the aircraft. Prefix: J Fighters (Jaktflygplan) BBombers (Bombflygplan) SReconnaissance aircraft (Spaningsplan) AAttack aircraft (Attackflygplan) TTorpedo bombers (Torpedflygplan) TpMilitary transport aircraft (Transportflygplan) SkTraining aircraft (Skolflygplan) The model designation consists of one or two digits. For example, J 35A, where "J" stands for fighter (jakt), 35 is the model designation used for “Draken” (The Dragon) and "A" indicates that this is the first version of the “Draken”. In recent decades, combat aircraft have been developed to carry out a wide range of missions and have a prefix consisting of two to three letters, so-called multirole combat aircraft (MRCA). Examples are JA 37A Viggen, AJ 37A Viggen, and JAS 39E Gripen. JA – Fighter aircraft also capable of attack missions (secondary role as attack aircraft) AJ – Attack aircraft also capable of fighter missions (secondary role as fighter) JAS - Fighter aircraft that are also capable of both attack and reconnaissance missions (Fighter-Attack-Reconnaissance). Before 1940, each type of aircraft in the Swedish Air Force had its own number series on the aircraft. If we take the Hawker Hart as an example, it had the designation B 3 as a bomber but S 9 as a reconnaissance aircraft. In 1940, the aircraft designation system was changed and the Caproni Ca 313 became the first aircraft to be assigned a designation under the 1940 designation system. In this system, aircraft models were assigned an aircraft number and the Caproni Ca 313 became Aircraft 16, instead of having different type numbers depending on their assigned role. This meant that the aircraft model kept its aircraft number regardless of its function, here B 16, T 16, S 16, and Tp 16.

Various Types of Aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a combat aircraft designed primarily to destroy enemy aircraft, i.e. air-to-air combat. Fighters are comparatively small, fast, and maneuverable. Attack aircraft are combat aircraft designed to engage ground targets or naval forces. Examples of targets for attack aircraft are thus ground troops, combat vehicles, and ships. However, bridges, roads, ports, and buildings are also common targets for attack aircraft. This can be done using automatic cannons, rockets, missiles, or bombs. Attack aircraft engage targets on the battlefield (tactical targets) as opposed to bombers which bomb targets away from the front line (strategic targets). Attack aircraft may also be equipped for a secondary role, such as a fighter capability. Reconnaissance aircraft, sometimes called spy aircraft or spy planes, are combat aircraft that carry equipment for reconnaissance, usually photo reconnaissance but also signal reconnaissance (SIGINT or AEW&C). AEW&C = Airborne Early Warning and Control. SIGINT = Signals intelligence. Multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) are combat aircraft intended to perform different roles in combat. These roles can include air-to- air combat, air support, aerial bombing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and suppression of air defenses. In other words, a fighter aircraft that can be used both as a fighter, attack, or reconnaissance aircraft (Swedish abbreviation JAS). Multirole combat aircraft are basically built as fighters but are given full reconnaissance and attack capabilities through a variety of internal and external systems. It is designed to function primarily in one of these roles, without the others being secondary. A good example of this type of combat aircraft is the Saab JAS 39 Gripen. Bombers are a type of combat aircraft designed primarily to carry and use aerial bombs as a method of attack. The bombs are carried either internally or externally and vary in size and quantity depending on the bomber type and aircraft model. Internal bombs are located in a so-called bomb bay, while external bombs are mounted on so-called bomb racks. Bombers are generally used to bomb targets away from the front line (strategic targets) as opposed to attack aircraft which generally bomb front line targets as a form of support. The bombers are usually protected by fighters, known as escorts. Dive bombing is a technique in which the pilot flies almost vertically down towards the target before dropping the bombs and the aircraft is quickly recovered. Bombers are normally larger, heavier, and less maneuverable than fighter aircraft. An example of a World War II bomber would be a B- 17 Flying Fortress. Bombers include light bombers, medium bombers, heavy bombers, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. Torpedo bombers are combat aircraft specially designed to drop torpedoes. They are a special type of attack aircraft or bomber and are sometimes called torpedo bombers, and were particularly common during the era of propeller-driven aircraft.

Types of Aircraft of the Swedish Air Force

Propeller Aircraft

Bombers Fighters Reconnaissance aircraft Torpedo bombers Transport aircraft Helicopters

Jet Aircraft

Jet combat aircraft

Swedish Air Force Uniforms

When the Swedish military aviation after the first world war received the status of an independent permanent armed service in 1926 the question of the Swedish aviation uniform arose. The Swedish Air Force adopted a uniform on the French model. This was a uniform based on the traditional naval officers’ uniform, however single-breasted, and was designated uniform m/1930 in Sweden. Uniforms of the Swedish Air Force

Swedish Military Aircraft - 1

Contents on this page:

Related Links

Military Propeller-driven Aircraft Military Jet Aircraft Military Helicopters Nationality Markings - Sweden History of the Swedish Air Force Unit Designation of the Swedish Air Force Uniforms of the Swedish Air Force Aircraft Warning Service - Female Aircraft Observers, Sweden Sweden’s Military Preparedness 1939 - 1945 Military Images, Sweden, 1939 - 1945 Swedish F 19 Air Wing in Finland in 1940 (Swedish Volunteer Corps) Tanks of Sweden

Source References

1. Flygvapnets historia, överstelöjtnant Lennert Berns 2. Svenska flygvapnets förband och skolor under 1900-talet, Christian Braunstein, 2003 3. Försvarets historiska telesamingar, Flyghistoria från SFF, Flygvapnet 4. Wikipedia 5. Digitaltmuseum 6. Flygvapenmuseum (Swedish Air Force Museum) Top of page
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Military Hans Högman
Copyright © Hans Högman 2022-06-12

Military Aircraft of the Swedish

Air Force

Air Force 1936 –

The Swedish Air Force was established as an independent armed service on 1 July 1926. However, already in the 1910s, there were aviation activities in the Army. The first army flight took place on the ice outside Stockholm in 1912. The Navy was also early with aviation and in February 1919 the Navy established a winter flying training school in Hägernäs just north of Stockholm. At this time air reconnaissance was the most important mission for military aviation. The 1925 Swedish Defense Act included the creation of an independent Air Force from 1926, with the Chief of the Air Force taking up his post on 1 July 1925. In 1936, a major effort was launched for the Air Force. The investment also meant the creation of a Swedish aerospace industry when Saab was founded in 1937. For more information, see History of the Swedish Air Force.

Swedish Air Force Designations for Military

Aircraft

The Swedish military aircraft have a designation that has a prefix consisting of one or more letters followed by 2 digits and ending with a suffix that is also a letter. The aircraft usually also has a name in addition to the designation, for example, J 35A Draken. The prefix indicates the type of aircraft in terms of its use. The numbers are the model designation and the suffix the version of the aircraft. Prefix: J Fighters (Jaktflygplan) BBombers (Bombflygplan) SReconnaissance aircraft (Spaningsplan) AAttack aircraft (Attackflygplan) TTorpedo bombers (Torpedflygplan) TpMilitary transport aircraft (Transportflygplan) SkTraining aircraft (Skolflygplan) The model designation consists of one or two digits. For example, J 35A, where "J" stands for fighter (jakt), 35 is the model designation used for “Draken (The Dragon) and "A" indicates that this is the first version of the “Draken”. In recent decades, combat aircraft have been developed to carry out a wide range of missions and have a prefix consisting of two to three letters, so-called multirole combat aircraft (MRCA). Examples are JA 37A Viggen, AJ 37A Viggen, and JAS 39E Gripen. JA – Fighter aircraft also capable of attack missions (secondary role as attack aircraft) AJ – Attack aircraft also capable of fighter missions (secondary role as fighter) JAS - Fighter aircraft that are also capable of both attack and reconnaissance missions (Fighter- Attack-Reconnaissance). Before 1940, each type of aircraft in the Swedish Air Force had its own number series on the aircraft. If we take the Hawker Hart as an example, it had the designation B 3 as a bomber but S 9 as a reconnaissance aircraft. In 1940, the aircraft designation system was changed and the Caproni Ca 313 became the first aircraft to be assigned a designation under the 1940 designation system. In this system, aircraft models were assigned an aircraft number and the Caproni Ca 313 became Aircraft 16, instead of having different type numbers depending on their assigned role. This meant that the aircraft model kept its aircraft number regardless of its function, here B 16, T 16, S 16, and Tp 16.

Various Types of Aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a combat aircraft designed primarily to destroy enemy aircraft, i.e. air-to-air combat. Fighters are comparatively small, fast, and maneuverable. Attack aircraft are combat aircraft designed to engage ground targets or naval forces. Examples of targets for attack aircraft are thus ground troops, combat vehicles, and ships. However, bridges, roads, ports, and buildings are also common targets for attack aircraft. This can be done using automatic cannons, rockets, missiles, or bombs. Attack aircraft engage targets on the battlefield (tactical targets) as opposed to bombers which bomb targets away from the front line (strategic targets). Attack aircraft may also be equipped for a secondary role, such as a fighter capability. Reconnaissance aircraft, sometimes called spy aircraft or spy planes, are combat aircraft that carry equipment for reconnaissance, usually photo reconnaissance but also signal reconnaissance (SIGINT or AEW&C). AEW&C = Airborne Early Warning and Control. SIGINT = Signals intelligence. Multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) are combat aircraft intended to perform different roles in combat. These roles can include air-to-air combat, air support, aerial bombing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and suppression of air defenses. In other words, a fighter aircraft that can be used both as a fighter, attack, or reconnaissance aircraft (Swedish abbreviation JAS). Multirole combat aircraft are basically built as fighters but are given full reconnaissance and attack capabilities through a variety of internal and external systems. It is designed to function primarily in one of these roles, without the others being secondary. A good example of this type of combat aircraft is the Saab JAS 39 Gripen. Bombers are a type of combat aircraft designed primarily to carry and use aerial bombs as a method of attack. The bombs are carried either internally or externally and vary in size and quantity depending on the bomber type and aircraft model. Internal bombs are located in a so-called bomb bay, while external bombs are mounted on so-called bomb racks. Bombers are generally used to bomb targets away from the front line (strategic targets) as opposed to attack aircraft which generally bomb front line targets as a form of support. The bombers are usually protected by fighters, known as escorts. Dive bombing is a technique in which the pilot flies almost vertically down towards the target before dropping the bombs and the aircraft is quickly recovered. Bombers are normally larger, heavier, and less maneuverable than fighter aircraft. An example of a World War II bomber would be a B-17 Flying Fortress. Bombers include light bombers, medium bombers, heavy bombers, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. Torpedo bombers are combat aircraft specially designed to drop torpedoes. They are a special type of attack aircraft or bomber and are sometimes called torpedo bombers, and were particularly common during the era of propeller-driven aircraft.

Types of Aircraft of the Swedish

Air Force

Propeller Aircraft

Bombers Fighters Reconnaissance aircraft Torpedo bombers Transport aircraft Helicopters

Jet Aircraft

Jet combat aircraft

Swedish Air Force Uniforms

When the Swedish military aviation after the first world war received the status of an independent permanent armed service in 1926 the question of the Swedish aviation uniform arose. The Swedish Air Force adopted a uniform on the French model. This was a uniform based on the traditional naval officers’ uniform, however single-breasted, and was designated uniform m/1930 in Sweden. Uniforms of the Swedish Air Force

Swedish Militry Aircraft - 1

Related Links

Military Propeller-driven Aircraft Military Jet Aircraft Military Helicopters Nationality Markings - Sweden History of the Swedish Air Force Unit Designation of the Swedish Air Force Uniforms of the Swedish Air Force Aircraft Warning Service - Female Aircraft Observers, Sweden Sweden’s Military Preparedness 1939 - 1945 Military Images, Sweden, 1939 - 1945 Swedish F 19 Air Wing in Finland in 1940 (Swedish Volunteer Corps) Tanks of Sweden

Source References

1. Flygvapnets historia, överstelöjtnant Lennert Berns 2. Svenska flygvapnets förband och skolor under 1900-talet, Christian Braunstein, 2003 3. Försvarets historiska telesamingar, Flyghistoria från SFF, Flygvapnet 4. Wikipedia 5. Digitaltmuseum 6. Flygvapenmuseum (Swedish Air Force Museum) Top of page