Fighter Wing Skrydstrup

Last updated
One of 30 RDAF F-16 aircraft General Dynamics (SABCA) F-16A Fighting Falcon (401), Denmark - Air Force AN1889817.jpg
One of 30 RDAF F-16 aircraft

Fighter Wing Skrydstrup is an air base of the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) situated in southern Jutland. It is home to the 30 operative F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters of the RDAF along with a Saab T-17 Supporter, and a single search and rescue helicopter covering southern Denmark.

Contents

A total of 1000 people work at the fighter wing serving in the three groups Wing Staff, Operations Group and Maintenance Group. The air base covers an area of 838 hectares [1] with three runways with a length of 3,500 meters. [2]

History

The air base was constructed by the Luftwaffe during the German occupation of Denmark as Fliegerhorst Hadersleben in 1943 as part of the Atlantic Wall. The air base was designed to base 24 Heinkel He 177 bombers and a squadron of Messerschmitt Bf 109 or Focke-Wulf 190 fighters, along with a series of training and reconnaissance aircraft. Due to shortages in material and later alterations of the atlantic defence, the intended flights were never based at Skrydstrup. Instead, various smaller units of minesweepers, transport planes and training units used the air base in the last years of the occupation.

After the war the air base was used as a camp for German refugees. In 1953 the Royal Danish Air Force decided to expand the runways to 3000 meters making it possible to base jet aircraft in Skrydstrup.

Squadron 730

In 1954, squadron 730 was established by the Danish Ministry of Defence and based at Skrydstrup. The squadron consisted of F-84G Thunderjets facing ten crashes until their replacement in 1961 by F-100 Super Sabre, forming the core of the squadron for more than 20 years.

In the mid-1970s the Super Sabres caused a series of crashes leading to a total grounding of the squadron for more than four months. Mechanical investigations revealed engine failures which were fixed and improved by 1977. But at this time preparations were being made to replace the Super Sabres with the new General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, which arrived at Skrydstrup in January 1980.

Deployment abroad

The introduction of the F-16 changed the physical setup at the air base as it was fit only for air defence, air policing, and air-to-surface attacks. The capability to perform long-range attacks and deploy aircraft around the world dominated the new setup instead of the traditional defensive structure. As a result, the first Danish military aircraft were deployed to the Red Flag exercise in Nevada in 1984. Since then, the squadron has been deployed in a series of military conflicts including Operation Allied Force in 1999, Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002, Operation Unified Protector in Libya in 2011 and seven F-16AM based at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait to fight the Islamic State forces (ISIS / ISIL) in October 2014. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Danish Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Denmarks armed forces

The Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was made a separate service in 1950. It main purpose is to serve as enforcer of Danish airspace and to provide air support to Danish group troops on the battlefield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Lakenheath</span> Royal Air Force station near Eriswell, Suffolk, United Kingdom

Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, 4.7 miles (7.6 km) north-east of Mildenhall and 8.3 miles (13.4 km) west of Thetford. The base also sits close to Brandon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aalborg Air Base</span> Military airbase for the Royal Danish Air Force

Aalborg Air Base also Air Transport Wing Aalborg is a military air base for the Royal Danish Air Force. It is located at Vadum, near Aalborg, Denmark. Aalborg Air Base shares its runway system as well as some services with Aalborg Lufthavn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunsan Air Base</span> Airbase in South Korea

Kunsan K-8 Air Base is a United States Air Force base located at Gunsan Airport, on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is located in the town of Gunsan, about 180 kilometres (110 mi) south of Seoul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">174th Attack Wing</span> Unit of the New York Air National Guard

The 174th Attack Wing is a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse, New York. The 174th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">104th Fighter Wing</span> Military unit

The 104th Fighter Wing is a unit of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, stationed at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, Westfield, Massachusetts. When activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">113th Wing</span> Military unit

The 113th Wing, known as the "Capital Guardians", is a unit of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. If activated to federal service, the fighter portion of the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command, while the airlift portion is gained by Air Mobility Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Air National Guard</span> Military unit

The Oklahoma Air National Guard is the aerial militia of the State of Oklahoma, United States of America. It is, along with the Oklahoma Army National Guard, an element of the Oklahoma National Guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">182d Fighter Squadron</span> Military unit

The 182d Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Texas Air National Guard 149th Fighter Wing located at Kelly Field Annex, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The 149th is equipped with the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">138th Fighter Wing</span> Unit of the Oklahoma Air National Guard (US)

The 138th Fighter Wing is a unit of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, stationed at the Tulsa Air National Guard Base at Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If activated to federal service as a United States Air Force unit, the 138 FW is gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">140th Wing</span> Military unit

The 140th Wing is a unit of the Colorado Air National Guard, stationed at Buckley Space Force Base, Aurora, Colorado. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">188th Wing</span> Military unit

The 188th Wing is a unit of the Arkansas Air National Guard, stationed at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Fort Smith, Arkansas. The 188th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">149th Fighter Wing</span> Military unit

The 149th Fighter Wing is a unit of the Texas Air National Guard, stationed at Kelly Field Annex, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">121st Fighter Squadron</span> Military unit

The 121st Fighter Squadron is a unit of the District of Columbia Air National Guard 113th Wing located at Joint Base Andrews, Camp Springs, Maryland. The 121st is equipped with the Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.

21st Fighter Squadron US Air Force unit

The 21st Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It is a United States Air Force squadron that operates Taiwanese-owned General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting fighter and maintenance training for the pilots and maintainers of the Republic of China Air Force.

69th Fighter Squadron Military unit

The 69th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve fighter squadron. It is assigned to the 944th Operations Group, stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">170th Fighter Squadron</span> Military unit

The 170th Fighter Squadron is an inactive unit of the Air National Guard. It was last assigned to the 183rd Fighter Wing located of the Illinois Air National Guard at Capital Airport Air National Guard Station, Springfield, Illinois. The 170th last flew the Block 30 General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. It was inactivated on 30 September 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">389th Fighter Squadron</span> Military unit

The 389th Fighter Squadron is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It operates McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft conducting close air support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">306th Tactical Fighter Squadron</span> Military unit

The 306th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing. stationed at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, where it was inactivated on 1 October 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Base Karup</span>

Air Base Karup is the main air base of the Royal Danish Air Force. It is situated within Midtjyllands Airport, 3 km west of Karup in mid-Jutland.

References

  1. ↑ "Drifts- og Plejeplan 2007-2021 for Flyvestation Skrydstrup - STATUS". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  2. ↑ http://forsvaret.dk/wskp/Pages/default.aspx
  3. ↑ "730 FS - Historie". Archived from the original on 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-05-30.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.