The Cold War has ended. The Berlin Wall has finally been torn down. Disarmament has begun. Bases are shut down, missiles are being rendered inert, and equipment is scrapped. For the last decade, you have trained for a war that never came to fruition. You are a highly skilled and enthusiastic fighter pilot. Up until recently, your fighters and fellow airmen were ready to take to the skies to defend your soveirgn territory at a moments notice. But it’s all over now. You are thanked for your service and sent on your way. The aircraft you named and trusted with your life is destined for junk. You feel an emptiness that only a person without a purpose may feel. What do you do? For the men who were stationed at the Hälsinge Air Force Wing in Söderhamn, the question was simpler than you think. They took their expertise and unit history and created a museum. With little to no government funding, the former service members have created a fantastic hands-on detailed experience for visitors. Their passion and experience have made the F15 flight museum one of the best in the world. Blacktop Ranger was granted a unrestricted look of their incredible collection. Guiding Julia and I through the storied airbase museum was Lars Nordin, a former helicopter pilot. Having lived the life, he was able to give a truly unique perspective to an astonishing collection. The museum does a remarkable job of detailing the unique aspects of Swedish military aviation. Over the course of a few hours, our guide beautifully orated the history of the Swedish Air Force.

Despite Sweden’s neutrality, the Cold War was a direct threat to their home. With Russian troops less than a half hour flight away, the normally war adverse nation had built up its military in preparation of serious conflict. At the height of the standoff, Sweden possessed more than one thousand fighter jets to repel an invading Red Army. Unlike many Nato allies, conscription was compulsory. Similar to Israel, nearly every man in the country was expected to put on a uniform and do their duty to the homeland for a period of at least 12 months. For those who were conscripted, the jobs they were expected to perform were very specific and limited in scope. Men would be trained quickly and efficiently to perform a single task and would carry that task out to the best of their ability. The conscript system required a drastically different operational doctrine. For instance, a volunteering airman in the United States Air Force would be trained on many if not all the functions and systems of their assigned aircraft. Airman were expected to be versatile and were cross trained to perform other jobs. This type of training requires more than a year alone. As a result, men and women in the US take on contracts of a minimum of four years. Because the conscription period was so short in Sweden, an aircraft technician would be trained on one aspect of a planes maintenance and perform that job alone. This allowed the Swedish military to replace men quickly. Unlike many militaries, Swedish volunteers did not sign contracts. During time of “peace”, after their mandatory service period they could leave at anytime with notice just like an office job.

The Swedish military’s aircrafts were designed around a philosophy of ruggedness, modularity, and ease of operation. With the full might of the Soviet military to contend with, the Swedish leadership knew that they had to operate their forces in a non traditional way. If conflict erupted, the leaders believed that not only would their airbases be attacked, but rather they would more than likely be destroyed. As a result, the initial response was not a planned counter strike, but a massive scramble. After initial interdiction, aircraft were not expected to return to their original bases. Rather, they would land at undisclosed fallback positions ranging from hardened positions to hastily prepared stretches of elongated highway. The aircraft were expected to be rearmed and refueled by technicians who would meet them at these positions. Everything was mobile. The air force utilized towable control towers, fuel trucks, and even purpose built rearming vehicles with motorized hoists to help load missiles and bombs onto the aircraft. Aircraft were capable of landing, refueling and rearming, and then taking back off within half an hour. An impressive feat for a purpose built facility, let alone a deserted highway in the middle of the forest.

This strategy was known as BAS 60 and later improved upon as BAS 90. The Hälsinge Air Force Wing’s base was designed to meet the BAS 60 standards. Multiple highway cutouts are visible along the way in where interceptors would have sat ready to take to the skies. Behind the museum, all the equipment required to operate remotely sat in a mock refueling and rearming operation to show guests exactly how the arduous task would be accomplished.

To operate successfully with such an unorthodox doctrine, the combat aircraft of the Swedish military were equally non traditional. While most militaries tended to possess multi functional aircraft , the Swedes built aircraft almost solely for interception and ground support. Their jets are all comparatively smaller aircraft with almost always a single pilot single engine configurations. The aircraft, with the exception of the current Saab Grippen (for the purpose of export), lacked aerial refueling equipment. One of the most fascinating aircraft in the museum was the Saab 29 Tunnan. With swept wings and a central intake jet engine, the aircraft was comparable to planes like the robust Mig 17 and sleek F86 Sabre except for one thing. The Tunnan or flying barrel was in development much earlier than the others. Put into service in 1951, the plane was remarkably advanced. When it first hit the skies, America and the allied powers were still experimenting with straight wing jet aircraft that were only moderately more powerful than late war piston aircraft. From then on, Saab continued to innovate. Every aircraft that Saab produced would introduce a brand new capability or design feature.

Shortly after the Tunnan, Sweden’s first and only dedicated ground attack jet took to the skies. The Saab 32 Lansen was a distinctive aircraft. Parked beside the veritable Tunnan, the Lansen appeared as a highly advanced version of the American P-80 Shooting Star. The Lansen was the first aircraft to be completely designed as a result of mathematical equations. Every mould line was decided by application of an early computer. The sleek craft was purpose built for an attack role, so heavy ordinance capacity and extended air time were a key focus. The aircraft was one of the very few two seat aircraft fielded by the Swedish military as well. The second operator was required to operate the nose mounted radar which worked in tandem with one of the first radar guided cruise missiles known as the RB04.

Saab 32 Lansen with nose mounted radar open for visitors to see at F15 Flight Museum

SK35C Draken. Photo by: Katsuhiko Tokunaga

Saab’s early jet aircraft shared many design elements with their contemporaries as a result of utilizing the same captured German aircraft designs after World War Two. It wasn’t until the J35 Draken’s development that Saab began to make truly unique aircraft. First introduced in 1960, the aircraft was built as an interceptor and was designed to quickly defend Sweden from Russian bombers flying at high altitude. To accomplish this goal, Saab created the striking double delta wing shape which removed the need for a tailplane (the horizontal wings on the tail). The single engined aircraft was capable of speeds up to 1500 mph and could climb 200 meters per second to reach bombers quickly. The F15 Museum also had a Draken parked outside in the mock staging area. The aircraft truly appeared like no other. Regardless of its age, the design looks ready to streak to the stratosphere even today.

Two Viggens, two trainers, and a Lansen in less than 50 feet

Despite the museum’s small size, the organization successfully filled the space with as much material as possible. Military jets are not small objects. In addition to a large WW2 propeller aircraft, a British made early jet fighter, the Tunnan, the Lansen, and two trainer aircraft, the museum somehow managed to fit two complete Saab 37 Viggen aircraft inside. Two more Viggens reside outside, one in the mock staging area and the other along the road to great visitors as they pull in.

The Viggen was one of the great successes of Saab aviation. First introduced in 1971, the aircraft would serve as a front line fighter until 2005. The aircraft’s bulky fuselage housed a single powerful Volvo RM8 turbofan engine. The aircraft was jam packed with technological innovations. It was the first aircraft to utilize a canard wing (a small forewing or foreplane in front of the main wing). Combining the double delta wing layout from the Draken with this innovation created an aircraft capable of intense maneuverability while still holding impressive high altitude speed capabilities. The Viggen was purpose built to operate with the BAS 60 doctrine and was capable of taking off and landing in less than 500 meters. To propel the aircraft at high speed and provide enough thrust to take off so quickly, the Viggens were powered by highly capable RM8 engines. The engine produced up to 28,100 lbf of thrust at maximum power resulting in a top speed of 1,386 mph (mach 2.1). At the time of their release, they were the most powerful jets in the sky. Furthermore, the RM8 was the first engine to possess both an afterburner and a thrust reverser. Thrust reversers work by redirecting the force of the engines exhaust to push out to the sides and towards the front of the aircraft. Imagine a speed boat reversing its propellers to slow down instead of just idling down. This allowed for the Viggens incredible takeoff and landing capabilities. Incredibly, the Viggen would prove to be even more revolutionary when it came to avionics. The aircraft was the first to include an airborne computer that utilized integrated circuits. Everything from navigation to flight control, to weapon aiming was performed by the Viggen’s CK37 computer. Saab bet big that the computer would be capable enough to preclude the need for a second operator in the aircraft. In application, the system exceeded expectation.

By far and a way the most exciting aspect of the F15 Flight Museum’s offered experience is their flight simulator. The forward section of a Saab 37 Viggen resides in a dark room situated before a massive wrap around projector screen. The simulator’s pilot sits inside the aircraft’s cockpit upon a once functional ejection seat. Gauges and flight controls are slaved to the simulation granting the would be pilots an intriguing and sweat inducing representation of flight. Our steadfast guide is one of three operators providing the rare treat. The system is hooked up to a satellite fed representation of the world. He related how they had “flown” all over the world and elaborated upon his risky low level pass of the Brooklyn Bridge. Visitors are able to fly their simulation Viggen’s for a thirty minute flight from takeoff to landing for a relatively low cost.

Once a museum goer is done gaping at the incredible aircraft, the museum provides even further information in the form of comprehensive displays and mock rooms. The rooms of the former airbase are done up with period correct uniformed mannequins performing duties and tasks. From the flight ready room, to a complete command and control room, every aspect of Swedish Air Force life is provided. On a more somber note, one of the rooms holds all the medals, awards, and a book with every service member who died while performing their duties on behalf of F15. Despite their neutrality, the Swedish Air Force trained hard. The pilots operated on the expectation of conflict and didn’t shy away from low level flying. Over 600 pilots died in crashes during the Cold War while training for a war that would never come. In the 1950’s, an average of 21 pilots would die every year.

Flipping the pages of the book completed the experience and reminds viewers that these machines were dangerous and meant for war. For the men who served at the Hälsinge Air Force Wing in Söderhamn, creating this fantastic museum was a way to honor the legacy of their predecessors and to keep their passion alive. Their dedication and knowledge are priceless and their willingness to create such an incredible experience with their own dime is worthy of great thanks. The museum’s small size is irrelevant. Of all the museums Blacktop has covered so far, the F15 Flight Museum is by far and a way the most impressive considering their budgetary independence.

You can find more information about the museum at:

http://www.soderhamnflygmuseum.se