Швеция Әуе Күштерінің тарихы мен дамуы

Air warfare branch of Sweden's military

The Swedish Air Force (Svenska flygvapnet or just Flygvapnet) 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 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 was surrounded by countries at war and could not rely on imported oil. Instead domestic oil sales 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.

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 started to become a consideration, not due to the death toll but because the aircraft were getting increasingly expensive. 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.

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 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 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, 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 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. 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 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 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. 10 aircraft have been orded 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 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.