F 17 Kallinge
Encyclopedia
F 17 Kallinge
, Blekinge
Flygflottilj, Blekinge Air Force Wing, 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 squadron
s of multirole aircraft. F17 in the south and F21 in the north are the two wings remaining to have operational squadrons. F7 is a school where pilots begin their training in the JAS39. After that the pilot's training is moved out to the two operational wings there they learn their final skills.
's transition to jet aircraft.
In 1973 another transition took place when F 17 received two squadrons with J 35 Draken from the former F 3 Malmslätt
air force base. From 1976 to 1978, F 17 was a pure "Air-to-air" fighter wing with the two squadrons of J 35 aircraft. In 1978 one of these was replaced with a modern reconnaissance squadron equipped with the then state-of-the-art SF/SH 37 Viggen aircraft. The remaining J 35 Draken squadron was replaced with JA 37 Viggen in 1982.
In 1993 the reconnaissance squadron was moved to the F 10 Ängelholm
air force base, and was replaced with a JA 37 squadron from the closed air force base F 13 Norrköping
. Once again F 17 became an air-to-air only wing. F 17 is since 2002 equipped with two squadrons of JAS 39 Gripen
, as the old JA 37 Viggen aircraft is phased out.
F 17 has detachments
on Gotland
(F 17 G), on Malmen airport near Linköping
(F 17 M) and in Hästveda
, an urban area in the Hässleholm Municipality
. The wing uses the coat of arms
of Blekinge as the emblem.
Current fleet:
Kallinge
Kallinge is a locality situated in Ronneby Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 4,767 inhabitants in 2005. It is an industrial and garrison town and is situated about 5 km north of Ronneby....
, Blekinge
Blekinge
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , situated in the south of the country. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea.The name "Blekinge" comes from the adjective bleke, which corresponds to the nautical term for "dead calm"....
Flygflottilj, Blekinge Air Force Wing, or simply "F 17", is a Swedish Air Force
Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 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...
wing
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
with the main base located near Ronneby
Ronneby
Ronneby is a locality and the seat of Ronneby Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 11,767 inhabitants in 2005.Ronneby is regarded as the heart of "the Garden of Sweden", and in 2005 the park "Brunnsparken" in Ronneby was voted Sweden's most beautiful park. 2006 the park was voted Europe's...
in southern Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It is one of the three remaining wings in Sweden and currently has two squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
s of multirole aircraft. F17 in the south and F21 in the north are the two wings remaining to have operational squadrons. F7 is a school where pilots begin their training in the JAS39. After that the pilot's training is moved out to the two operational wings there they learn their final skills.
History of the airbase
F 17 was established on the Bredåkra moor in 1944 under the name of Kungliga Blekinge Flygflottilj, The Royal Blekinge Air Wing. The moor had been used as a military training ground since the 19th century. The wing was at first mainly used for marine operations, such as torpedo and naval mine deployment. In 1947 the wing was reorganized with bomber squadrons. In 1954 the first jet planes entered service at the wing, as a part of the Swedish Air ForceSwedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 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...
's transition to jet aircraft.
In 1973 another transition took place when F 17 received two squadrons with J 35 Draken from the former F 3 Malmslätt
F 3 Malmslätt
F 3 Malmslätt, Kungliga Östgöta Flygflottilj, Royal Östgöta Air Force Wing, or simply "F 3", is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located at Malmen air base near Linköping in south-eastern Sweden.- History of the airbase :...
air force base. From 1976 to 1978, F 17 was a pure "Air-to-air" fighter wing with the two squadrons of J 35 aircraft. In 1978 one of these was replaced with a modern reconnaissance squadron equipped with the then state-of-the-art SF/SH 37 Viggen aircraft. The remaining J 35 Draken squadron was replaced with JA 37 Viggen in 1982.
In 1993 the reconnaissance squadron was moved to the F 10 Ängelholm
F 10 Ängelholm
F 10 Ängelholm, Skånska Flygflottiljen, Scania Air Force Wing, or simply "F 10", is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located in southernmost Sweden.- History of the airbase :...
air force base, and was replaced with a JA 37 squadron from the closed air force base F 13 Norrköping
F 13 Norrköping
F 13 Norrköping, Bråvalla Flygflottilj, Bråvalla Air Force Wing, or simply "F 13", is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Norrköping in south-eastern Sweden.- History of the airbase :...
. Once again F 17 became an air-to-air only wing. F 17 is since 2002 equipped with two squadrons of JAS 39 Gripen
JAS 39 Gripen
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a lightweight single-engine multirole fighter manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. It was designed to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen in the Swedish Air Force...
, as the old JA 37 Viggen aircraft is phased out.
F 17 today
Parts of the Swedish helicopter forces are today stationed at F 17 with submarine warfare as its main task. A rescue helicopter is also stationed here.F 17 has detachments
Detachment (military)
A detachment is a military unit. It can either be detached from a larger unit for a specific function or be a permanent unit smaller than a battalion. The term is often used to refer to a unit that is assigned to a different base from the parent unit...
on Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
(F 17 G), on Malmen airport near Linköping
Linköping
Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
(F 17 M) and in Hästveda
Hästveda
Hästveda is a locality situated in Hässleholm Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 1,682 inhabitants in 2005....
, an urban area in the Hässleholm Municipality
Hässleholm Municipality
Hässleholm Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Hässleholm....
. The wing uses the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Blekinge as the emblem.
Current fleet:
- JAS 39 GripenJAS 39 GripenThe Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a lightweight single-engine multirole fighter manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. It was designed to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen in the Swedish Air Force...
- Saab 105Saab 105-See also:-Bibliography:* Hewson, Robert. "Saab 105/Sk60 Variant Briefing". World Air Power Journal, Volume 23 Winter 1995. London:Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1 874023 64 6. ISSN 0959-7050. pp. 40—49....
(SK 60) - Eurocopter Super PumaEurocopter Super PumaThe Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-size utility helicopter marketed for both civil and military use. Originally designed and built by Aérospatiale, it is an enlarged and re-engined version of the original Aérospatiale Puma...
(HKP 10) - CH-46 Sea KnightCH-46 Sea KnightThe Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium-lift tandem rotor transport helicopter, used by the United States Marine Corps to provide all-weather, day-or-night assault transport of combat troops, supplies and equipment. Assault Support is its primary function, and the movement of supplies and...
(HKP 4) - MBB BO 105 (HKP 9)
See also
- Swedish Armed ForcesSwedish Armed ForcesThe Swedish Armed Forces is a Swedish Government Agency responsible for the operation of the armed forces of the Realm. The primary task of the agency is to train, organize and to deploy military forces, domestically and abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the Realm in the...
- Swedish Air ForceSwedish Air ForceThe Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 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...
- List of military aircraft of Sweden