Eskadrille 721

Squadron 721
Eskadrille 721
Founded	1 October 1950;74 years ago (1950-10-01)
Country	Denmark
Branch	Royal Danish Air Force
Type	Air Transport
Part of	Air Transport Wing Aalborg
Garrison/HQ	Flyvestation Aalborg
Motto(s)	Fortis, Firmus Undique (Strong, Reliable, Everywhere)
Aircraft flown
Trainer	Saab T-17 Supporter
Transport	Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules Bombardier CL-604 Challenger

Eskadrille 721 of the Royal Danish Air Force is the sole squadron in 'Air Transport Wing Aalborg' of the Danish Defence. It provides tactical transport for all parts of the Danish state.

History

Eskadrille 721 (721 Squadron) was formed on 1 October 1950, when the Royal Danish Air Force (Flyvevåbnet) was formed by merging the Marinens Flyvevæsen (Danish Naval Air Service) and Hærens Flyvertropper (Danish Army Air Corps), with Eskadrille 721 incorporating the aircraft of the 1st and 2nd Luftflotille of the Naval Air Service, together with the Greenland flight of the Army Air Corps, with the role of transport (including support for operations in Greenland, together with Search and Rescue operations. ^[1]

Present activity

Squadron Catalina visible at Royal Air Force Museum Midlands, Cosford

"Zap" of squadron emblem visible on RAF aircraft at the Royal Air Force Museum Midlands, RAF Cosford.

Since 2004 the air wing is located at Flyvestation Aalborg, in the Northern part of Jutland peninsula. ^[2]

The main role for the air wing is to provide tactical transport capacity with its C-130's. The Challengers provide both VIP-transportation for the Royal Court of Denmark and other government officials, and has the option to be equipped with airborne radar for surveillance. The Challenger 604 is tasked with assisting in surveillance missions around Greenland and the Faroe Islands and in that capacity one aircraft has been permanently stationed in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland since 2021. ^{[3] [4]}

Current equipment

Currently Eskadrille 721 operates:

• 4 Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules
• 4 Bombardier CL-604 Challenger ^[5]
• 4 Saab T-17 Supporter

See also

• Danish Defence

References

1. Nikolajsen 1970, p.18.
2. "Eskadrille 721 – Flyvevåbnets transporteskadrille". forsvaret.dk. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
3. "THE SEARCH AND RESCUE SERVICE IN GREENLAND SAR - GREENLAND" (PDF). RESCUE COUNCIL FOR SHIPPING AND AVIATION. June 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
4. Augustesen, Søren (12 December 2022). "Viking Warriors: What does the future hold for the Royal Danish Air Force". Key Aero.
5. Augustesen 2015, p. 82.

• Augustesen, Sören. "Denmark's Challengers". Air International , April 2015, Vol. 88, No. 4. pp. 82–85.
• Nikolajsen, O. "Arctic Specialists: History of No.721 Squadron, Royal Danish Air Force". Air Pictorial, January 1970, Vol. 32, No. 1. pp. 16–18.

External links

• About Eskadrille 721 Archived 2019-04-02 at the Wayback Machine (in Danish)