Blekinge Wing (), also F 17 Kallinge, or simply F 17, is a

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( or just ) is the air force Military branch, branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalatin ...

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

with the main base located near Ronneby in southern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The wing also operates the air base on the island of

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

in the Baltic Sea. It is one of four wings in Sweden and currently has two squadrons of JAS-39 C/D fighter aircraft.

History

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

's transition to jet aircraft. In 1973 another transition took place when F 17 received two squadrons with

J 35 Draken The Saab 35 Draken (; ''The Kite'', ambiguous with ''The Dragon'') is a Swedish interceptor aircraft, fighter-interceptor developed and manufactured by Saab AB, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (Saab AB, SAAB) between 1955 and 1974. Development of ...

from the former Östgöta Wing (F 3). 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 Scania Wing (F 10), and was replaced with a JA 37 squadron from the closed Bråvalla Wing (F 13). Once again F 17 became an air-to-air only wing. F 17 is since 2002 equipped with two squadrons of

JAS 39 Gripen The Saab JAS 39 Gripen ( ; English: ''Griffin'') is a light single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with rela ...

, 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 antisubmarine warfare as their main task. A rescue helicopter is also stationed here. F 17 has detachments on

(F 17 G), on Malmen airport near

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

(F 17 M) and in Hästveda, an urban area in the Hässleholm Municipality. The wing uses the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of Blekinge as the emblem. Current fleet: *

Saab 105 The Saab 105 is a Swedish high-wing, twinjet trainer aircraft developed in the early 1960s as a private venture by Saab AB. The Swedish Air Force, which had opted to procure the type for various roles, designated the aircraft SK 60. The SK 60 ...

(SK 60) *

Eurocopter Super Puma The Airbus Helicopters H215 (formerly Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma) is a four-bladed, twin-engined, medium-sized, utility helicopter developed and initially produced by French aerospace company Aérospatiale. It has been subsequently manufactur ...

(HKP 10) *

NHIndustries NH90 The NHIndustries NH90 is a European medium-sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter. It was the first production helicopter to feature entirely fly-by-wire flight controls.Perry, Dominic"Rotor club: Our top 10 most influential helicop ...

(HKP 14) *

AgustaWestland AW109 The AgustaWestland AW109, originally the Agusta A109, is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter designed and initially produced by the Italian rotorcraft manufacturer Agusta. It was the first all-Italian helicopter to b ...

(HKP 15)

Heraldry and traditions

Coat of arms

The first coat of arms of the Blekinge Wing was used from 1944 to 1994.

Blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

: "Azure, the provincial badge of Blekinge, an oak, the trunk enfiled with three open crowns, all or." The current coat of arms has been used since 1994. Blazon: "Azure, the provincial badge of Blekinge, an oak, the trunk enfiled with three open crowns, a chief over a string, charged with a winged twobladed propeller, all or." File:Blekinge flygflottilj vapen, pre 1994.svg, Coat of arms used from 1944 to 1994. File:Blekinge flygflottilj vapen.svg, Coat of arms used from 1994.

Colours, standards and guidons

Blekinge Wing presents one wing colour and one school colour.

Wing colour

The first colour was presented to the wing at

Svea Air Corps Svea Air Corps (), also F 8 Barkarby, or simply F 8, is a former Swedish Air Force air corps wing with the main base located in Barkarby just north of the capital Stockholm on the east coast. History The meadows in the area were used since 1913 ...

(F 8) at Barkarby Airport by His Majesty the King

Gustaf V Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf; 16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxe ...

on 17 September 1944.

: "On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper, all in yellow. In the first corner the provincial badge of

Blekinge Blekinge () is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second-smallest provin ...

; an oak enfiled with three open crown, all in yellow." Decor through inserting and embroidery. A new colour was presented to the wing at Kallinge by His Majesty the King

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. Having reigned since 1973, he is the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history. Carl Gustaf was born during the reign of his paternal great-grandfather, K ...

on 15 April 2004. The colour is drawn by Kristina Holmgård-Åkerberg and embroidered by hand in insertion technique by the company Libraria. Blazon: "On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper. In the first corner the provincial badge of

; an oak enfiled with three open crowns; in the second corner the town badge of

Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 41,388 inhabitants in 2020 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...

; from a waved base a yellow tower embattled issuant between two mullets (a legacy from the former

Kalmar Wing Kalmar Wing (), also F 12 Kalmar, or simply F 12, is a former Swedish Air Force wing (air force unit), wing with the main base located on the south-east coast of Sweden. History The wing started out with three squadrons of Saab 17, B 17C in 1942. ...

, F 12), in the third corner the provincial badge of

Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

; an erazed head of a griffin with an open crown (a legacy from the former Scania Wing, F 10) and in the fourth corner an eagle, wings elevated and displayed, on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle (a legacy from the former

Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School (), also F 5 Ljungbyhed, or simply F 5, is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden. History The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by t ...

, F 5). All décor in yellow." File:Blekinge flygflottilj fana från 1944 AM.096431.jpg, The 1944 colour.

School colour

The colour was originally presented to the then

(F 5) by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf on 25 August 1996. The colour is drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory. The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Wing (F 10) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Wing (F 16) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003. Blazon: "On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper. In the first corner an eagle, wings elevated and displayed, on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle. All décor in yellow."

March

The march "Torsten Rapp" composed by music director Carl Gustaf Ellström was used from 1946 to 1957. "Blekinge flygflottiljs marsch" composed by music director Åke Dohlin was established on 13 June 1984. The march was commissioned by F 17 in 1984 in connection with the wing's 40th anniversary.

Commanding officers

From 1944 to 1978, the commanding officers was referred to as ''flottiljchef'' ("wing commander"), and had during the wings first years the rank of lieutenant colonel. From 1947, the wing commander got the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. From 1974 to 1981, the wing commander was referred to as ''sektorflottiljchef'' ("sector wing commander"). Unlike sector wing commanders at other wings, the sector wing commander at F 17 was not awarded the rank of

senior colonel __NOTOC__ Senior colonel is an officer rank usually placed between a regular colonel and a British brigadier or American brigadier general. Use Most western militaries tend to equate a senior colonel as being on the level of a "brigadier general ...

. From 1 July 1981, the commanding officer is again referred to as ''flottiljchef'' ("wing commander"), and had the rank of colonel.

Wing and sector wing commanders

*1944–1948: Torsten Rapp *1948–1951: Hugo Svenow *1951–1963: Sten Rydström *1963–1966: Per Svensson *1966–1975: Carl-Otto Larsson *1975–1984: Erik Spångberg *1984–1987: Rolf Clementson *1987–1990: Gunnar Ståhl *1990–1998: Bo-Walter Eriksson *1998–2000: Lennart Pettersson *2000–2003: Lars Johansson *2003–2007: Lars Lundell *2007–2009: Niclas Karlsson *2009–2012: Mats Helgesson *2012–2013: Gabor Nagy *2014–2014: Magnus Liljegren *2014–2019: Lars Bergström *2019–2022: Tommy Petersson *2022–2024: Anders Jönsson *2024-20xx: Johan Elofsson

Deputy sector wing commanders

In order to relieve the sector wing commander, a deputy sector wing commander position was added in 1978. Its task was to lead the unit procurement, a task largely similar to the old wing commander position. Hence he was also referred to as ''flottiljchef'' ("wing commander"). The deputy sector wing commander had the rank of colonel. On 30 June 1981, the deputy sector wing commander position was terminated, when the sector responsibility was transferred to the Scania Wing (F 10). *1978–1980: Sten Norrmo

Names, designations and locations

Footnotes

References

Notes

Print

* * * * *

Web

* *

External links

* {{coord, 56.2553, N, 15.2844, E, source:wikidata, display=title Wings of the Swedish Air Force Military units and formations established in 1944 Ronneby Municipality 1944 establishments in Sweden