Swedish Air Force

Fantastic stuff mate! Love it! Keep at it.....

Great stuff. Love the look of the J22

In 1945 The Flygwapnet bougt some second hand P-51 Mustang designated J-26 for F16 in Uppsala. at that thime F16 also had some J-22 to. So for fun some pilots who where curius how J-22 and the P51 where in comparison so they made a simply test. They started to compare their acceleration and speed at 1000m in low speed. The resault whas expecting, J22 due to its lighness accelerated weary fast away from the P51 and after a while the P-51 came up whit the J-22 and continued to accelerating slowly away from it. Next whas the climb, at 1000m again whit low speed the J-22 climbed in a steeper angel to the P51 where it whas left under the horison, but soon the P51 started to came closer and closer where it soon climbed over J-22. Last whas the dogfight and in beginning none of them got the other in aim and the J-22 showed to have a striking short turn-radius compare to the P51 whitch helped the J-22 to be inside the sharp turns where they seemed to be equal in air to air combat, but soon when the P51 started to climb and climbed more and more the J22 getting more and more insufficent aiming against the P51 and lured the J-22 in higher altitude. then above 5000m the pilot in J-22 got problems because he hasent equipt him self whit a oxygenmask ( The pilots of the J-22 only took the mask whit them in planned high altitude flights) but the P51 pilots has one so the pilot in the J-22 dident dare to climb higher up and so he decended down to a safer altitude where the P51 took this oppurturnity to simulate a finnish blow in a diving attack.

The Italian aircraft manufacturer Reggiane, owned by Caproni and situated in Reggio south-east of Milano, provided the troubled Swedish Air Force with at least a number of fighter aircraft, when all other sources abroad were gone. Reggiane's first produced aircraft with aluminium skin was the Re 2000 Falco 1. Earlier aircraft were of wooden constuction. It was designed by the team Antonio Alessio and Robert Longhi, but it is obvious that the Seversky-Republic EP-1 (in Sweden J 9) generally was used as pattern. At the trials, the Falco behaved very well, but Regia Aeronautica did not trust the strength of the design, and placed no orders. Almost all of the 170 manufactured Re 2000 were sold abroad. Sweden and Hungary were the major purchasers.

After United States had stopped the deliveries of more advanced fighter aircraft, the Swedish Air Force bought sixty Re 2000. They were equipped with air-cooled radial engines type Piaggio P XI RC 40D, delivering 1020 hp. Unfortunately, the engines proved themselves rather unreliable. Otherwise, most pilots appreciated the aircraft, which performed well under harsh conditions and had good flying characteristics. All sixty aircraft were used by the fighter wing F 10, during the WWII based at Bulltofta in Malmö. They were equipped with two 12,7 mm automatic guns made by Breda in Milano. The aircraft were used in the neutrality guard and had the important mission to intercept foreign bombers that violated Swedish airspace from the south. One J 20 was shot down while intercepting a German Dornier Do 24 near Sölvesborg in April 1945.

In 1919, encouraged by the generally adapted doctrine by the Italian General Douhet concerning the importance of bomber aircraft ("the bombers always get through"), Fiat started to manufacture bombers designed by the well-known Celestino Rosatello. In 1923 and 1924, three Fiat BR:s and two Fiat BR1:s were purchased by the Swedish Air Force. They were given the designation B 1 (BR, profile above) and B 2 (BR1). The aircraft were almost of similar design, even if the BR1 had a larger span, which improved the performance slightly. Both types were powered by a Fiat A 14 (700 hp). The armament consisted of an 8 mm movable machine-gun, operated from the rear seat. The BR could carry 350 kg of bomb load, the BR1 630 kg. The Fiats were in bad shape when they were transferred to the new Air Force in 1926. The were based at F 3 at Malmen, but were seldom in the air. The three B 1s were written off in 1932 and the two B 2s in 1937.

Thanks to the licence-manufacturing of the Northrop 8-A 1 (B 5) bomber by ASJA/SAAB, the Swedish aircraft industry had got experience of design and manufacturing of modern monoplanes in light metal shell construction. In March 1940, SAAB, now in fusion with ASJA, offered the Air Administration the type 17 aircraft, the first of their own designs to be manufactured as a series. Two test aircraft had earlier been built. SAAB 17 was originally intended as a reconnaissance aircraft, but now it was also redesigned as a dive-bomber. The fifty American engineers, who had taught their Swedish colleagues the technique of building modern metal aircraft, also helped the Swedish engineers with the design of the first part of the new aircraft

In 1940, serial building of 322 aircraft was ordered. They were to be built in five variations; S 17BL and S 17BS for reconnaissance duties, and B 17A, B 17B and B 17C for bombing duties. The letters A-C designated the different engines that could be obtained. Sometimes, engines could be obtained from Italy. Otherwise, the engines had to be manufactured in Sweden. The engine alternatives were the Bristol/Svenska Flygmotor Mercury XXIV of 890 hp, the Svenska Flygmotor/Pratt Whitney STW C-3 Twin Wasp of 1.065 hp and the in 1940 the from Italy "emergency purchase" Piaggio P XI bis RC 40D of 1.020 hp. All variants were air-cooled radial engines. An advanced bomb-sight, BT2 (m/42) was developed and was introduced in the later versions. Bombing with this kind of sight could be done at a lower diving angle.

To maximise the strenght of the wing, it lacked recesses for the landing gears. The gears were folded backward-upward and were fitted with stream-lined covers (see photo above). The covers were intended to be used as air-breaks during dive-bombing, but was not longer necessary when the new bomb-sight BT2 was installed in the aircraft. The landing gear with wheels could be replaced with a retractable ski gear. The aircraft was, in addition to the bombs, armed with three 7,9 mm machine-guns - one at flexible mounting behind the navigator and two fixed in the wings. Many problems occurred and many delays slowed the production programme. The first aircraft was delivered in December 1941. The last left the workshop during the second part of 1944.

B 17A (132 built) was a light bomber equipped with a Svenska Flygmotor/Pratt&Whitney STW C-3 14-cylinder radial engine (Swedish Twin Wasp) of 1.065 hp. Svenska Flygmotor had managed to copy this engine, which was built without a license agreement. The armament consisted of two fixed 8 mm machine-guns m/22 in the wings and a moveable 8 mm machine-gun at the observers place behind the pilot. Normally, a bomb-load of 500 kg could be carried. Air Force numbers 17006 and 17238-17368.

B 17B (55 built) was similar to the B 17A, but with a Bristol/Svensk Flygmotor Mercury XXIV 9-cylinder radial engine of 980 hp. Air Force numbers 17003-17005, 17007-17016, 17101, 17105-17115, 17151-17164 and 17187-17202.

B 17C (77 built) was similar to the two other variants, but had a Italian Piaggio P XI bis RC 40D 14-cylinder radial engine of 1.020 hp. Air Force numbers 17017-17057, 17102, 17203-17237.

The SAAB 17 was a reliable aircraft with good performance. However, it had a tendency to ground loop at landing.

46 SAAB 17A were sold to the Ethiopian Air Force in 1947-1953.

After their career as combat aircraft, eighteen B 17As were used as target towing aircraft by civilian operators. One of these aircraft, # 17239 with the civil registration SE-BYH, is now restored to flying condition and painted and marked in the colours of 2nd Squadron of Wing F 7 at Såtenäs, code "blue Johan". See photo above from airshow at F 7 in 2009.

This famous design, popularly called the "DC-3" was an airliner that, more or less converted, became the most important transport aircraft of the Allied forces during WWII. 10.349 aircraft were produced in the USA. The most common variants were the C-47 Skytrain and the C-53 Skytrooper. Further 2.000-3.000 were built in Russia (designated Li-2) and Japan (Showa L2D). The RAF used the Dakota as the official name of the aircraft.

After the war, a large number of this dependable aircraft, now sold cheaply as surplus, continued to fly for civilian and military operators. The Swedish Air Force bought totally eight Dakotas. The first two in 1949 and the last one 1975 - 26 years later. The Dakota got the Swedish designation TP 79 and the aircraft got the Air Force numbers 79001-79008.

The first two TP 79s were modified during the winter and spring of 1950 to ELINT (ELectronic INTelligence) aircraft. The work was done by the Workshops of the Air Force at Västerås (CVV). The ELINT crew that flew with the Dakotas belonged to FRA (Försvarets Radioanstalt = the Radio Establishment of the Defence). In June 1952, 79001 disappeared over the Baltic Sea during an ELINT mission. Now we know that a Soviet fighter shot down the aircraft. A Catalina (Tp 47), searching for the missing Dakota, was in its turn shot down by a Soviet MiG-15. A German merchant ship saved the crew of the Catalina. The wreck of the Dakota was located on the 10th of June 2003 at the sea bottom east of Gotska Sandön. On the 19th of March 2004, is was successfully salvaged by the Swedish Navy. The other six TP 79s were - besides transport of materials and personnel - used for the training of parachutists, development of new avionics, VIP-transports, training of navigators etc. The TP 79 was powered by two Pratt Whitney STW-C3 engines, each delivering 1.065 bhp.

Great pics of the SAAB 17, that's one cool looking plane!

Especially the #13.....8)

Great stuff mate, keep it coming!

Nice stuff!

In the autumn of 1930, Gerhard Fieseler, then World Champion of Aerobatics, visited the Air Force Flight Academy (F 5) at Ljungbyhed. Fieseler, who later designed the famous STOL aircraft Fieseler Storch (S 14), made an impressive show with his Raab-Katzenstein RK 26 Tigerschwalbe, an one-seated aeroplane designed for aerobatics. Gerhard Fieseler arrived to F 5 just at the right time. The Air Force Flight Academy needed badly an aircraft for advanced training. Fieseler had been invited to Ljungbyhed by the chief flying instructor Nils Söderberg, later Major-General (Air Vice-Marshal) of the Air Force. By recommendation of Nils Söderberg, the Air Board made an inquiry to the Swedish aeroplane manufacturer ASJA at Linköping. ASJA, which had secured the rights for license production, bought a German-built Tigerschwalbe. The aircraft were put into the civil register as SE-ACO and was rented to the War Flying School. At the school it was tested by the flying instructors, who found the aircraft suitable as the missing advanced trainer.

In February 1932, ASJA got an order of 25 aircraft. The Air Force designation became Sk 10 and the individual aircraft got the Air Force numbers 521-545. The design was partly changed compared to the German Tigerschwalbe. The most important alteration was of course that the aircraft was changed to a two-seater with dual command. The original Tigerschwalbe was fitted with an 175 hp Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engine. The Swedish variant got an 260 hp Walter Castor 1A, of course stronger but also heavier. The wings were reinforced. Together with the heavier Swedish-made plywood, their weight increased by 60 kg. Also the tail part was reinforced. Totally, the ASJA-built Tigerschwalbe was nearly 200 kg heavier than SE-ACO. This fact of course changed the flying performance. The 25 Sk 10:s were delivered from October 1932 to May 1934. The Sk 10 became very controversial. Before the first half of the batch was delivered, two of the aircraft got into uncontrollable spin when flying inverted. This resulted in both cases in fatal crashes. These accidents started the "Sk 10 Affair", which engaged the newspapers of the entire Sweden. The Sk 10 was stamped as highly dangerous due to faulty design.. The Air Force was divided into two parties. An order which prohibited aerobatics was issued for the aircraft, but a commission of inquiry revoked this order. Charles Lindbergh, who visited Sweden in 1933, tested the Sk 10 and performed advanced aerobatics. His opinion was "all right". One Sk 10 was flown to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough for tests. The report from 1934 brought it out clearly that the aircraft was hard to handle, but as the British and the Swedish training programmes were totally different, the report was of little value. But as time passed, the Sk 10 were accepted for its intended mission. It was a machine which separated the wheat from the chaff. Of the 25 delivered aircraft, 18 were written off due to crashes.

The Swedish Air Force purchased in 1936-37 three batches of totally 55 Gladiators, intended for the fighter wing, F 8, at Barkaby near Stockholm. The first batch (Gladiator Mk I) was fitted with 645 hp Bristol Mercury S 2 engines and got the Swedish designation J 8. The remaining aircraft was of the Mark II with the stronger Mercury VIII A engine (840 hp). The were designated J8A. At the outbreak of WWII, a squadron of Gladiators was based in most southern part of Sweden. Another squadron, equipped with 12 J8A's was detached to the voluntary Wing F 19 in Finland. When the Finnish Winter War was over, two Swedish Gladiators had been lost in action. The Swedish Gladiators were armed with four 8 mm machine-guns and could also be fitted with bombs.

The preserved aircraft at Flygvapenmuseum carries the markings it bore during when it took part in the Finnish Winter War in 1939-40. Note the blue swastika, the symbol of the Finnish Air Force until 1945. C/n G559066, Sw AF/n 278.

Cool!

Gekho that plane is a Sk 10 - Raab-Katzenstein RK-26 Tigerschwalbe (1932-1945) se link for more information
Sk10 RK-26 Tiger-Schwalbe

Grampa said:

Gekho that plane is a Sk 10 - Raab-Katzenstein RK-26 Tigerschwalbe (1932-1945) se link for more information
Sk10 RK-26 Tiger-Schwalbe

Click to expand...

Thanks!!

If you don`t mind I will use the information of your link for this thread (although I think is the one I was already using).

No problemo Gekho.

Interesting shots!

Sweden purchased a licence for production of a Mercury powered version, building 63 B 5Bs and 31 B 5Cs, production taking place from 1938 to 1941. They were replaced in service by SAAB 17s from 1944. The Swedish version was used as a dive bomber and as such it featured prominently in the 1941 film 'Första Divisionen'.

Wow, I had no idea!