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Royal Danish Air Force
Flyvevåbnet
File:Flyvevåbnet.png
Logo of "Flyvevåbnet"
Founded 1950-10-01
Country Flag of Denmark Denmark
Flag of Greenland Greenland
Flag of the Faroe Islands Faroe Islands
Type Air force
Role National Air Defense and Air Superiority
Size 3,476 personnel + 100 conscripts[1]
93 aircraft[2]
Part of Danish Defence Command
Engagements Operation Allied Force (1999)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Military intervention in Libya (2011)
Commanders
Chief of Defence General Peter Bartram[3]
Chief of Tactical Air Command Major General Henrik Røboe Dam
Insignia
RDAF roundel Royal Danish Air Force Roundel
RDAF fin flash Flag of Denmark (state)
Aircraft flown
Fighter Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon
Multirole helicopter Westland Super Lynx Mk 90B
Observation helicopter Eurocopter AS 550 Fennec
Utility helicopter AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin
Patrol Bombardier CL-604 Challenger
Trainer Saab MFI-17 Supporter
Transport Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules

The Royal Danish Air Force (Danish language: Flyvevåbnet ) (RDAF) is the air force of Denmark and is responsible for maintaining homeland defense and carrying out homeland security roles as international operations.[4]

History[]

Stauning-2004-03

RDAF Supermarine Spitfire - Stauning Aircraft Museum

F-100-DK-01

RDAF TF-100F Super Sabre survivor, 2006

F-16 MLU of Royal Danish Air Force (reg

RDAF F-16 MLU at the 2005 Radom Air Show

Danish AW101 2

Danish Air Force AW101 hoisting from water

The Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) was formed as a military service independent from the Army and Navy in 1950 from the merger of the Hærens Flyvertropper (Danish Army Air Corps) originally founded on July 2, 1912[5] and the Marinens Flyvevæsen (Danish Naval Air Service) which had been founded on December 14, 1911.[6] All military aviation had been prohibited during the Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1945 and so as of V-E Day the Danish armed forces had no aircraft, but the Luftwaffe had built or expanded air bases in Denmark.

The Danish armed forces received 38 surplus Supermarine Spitfire H. F. Mk. IXE[7] and 3 P.R.Mk. XI in 1947-48[8] plus four additional airframes for ground instruction, which were operated by units of the Hærens Flyvertropper and Marinens Flyvevæsen prior to their merger, and by the Royal Danish Air Force until 1956 when the last examples were retired and all but two scrapped.

One survived for a number of years in a children's playground and the one surviving instructional airframe was later restored to depict the number '401' Spitfire Mk. IX. This airplane is now preserved at Dansk Veteranflysamling at Stauning Airfield in Jylland.[9]

In the 1960s and 1970s the RDAF operated a number of US financed Lockheed F-104G Starfighters, North American F-100D and F-100F Super Sabres, and several other types. In 1971 the Danish army created the Royal Danish Army Flying Service as the first air-unit outside the Air Force, since its creation in 1950. It had observation helicopters and piston-engined artillery spotting aeroplanes. In 1977 the Danish Naval Air Squadron was extracted from squadron 722 to the Danish Navy, and it had ship-based helicopters. In a joint arms purchase four NATO countries: Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, and Belgium introduced the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon as their common fighter-bomber in January 1980. The F-16 was later bought by additional NATO countries, Greece and Turkey, and the United States of America, also a NATO member operates the F-16.

In 1999, following the end of the Cold War, the Danish Air Force was re-organised to be an "expeditionary" air force, capable of supporting international operations worldwide - but at the same time still being able to uphold its domestic air-defense and sea-defense commitments.

In 2002, Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Team, and eventually up to 48 F-35s could be bought to replace the F-16s.

In October 2002, a tri-national detachment of 18 Danish, Dutch, and Norwegian F-16 fighter-bombers, with one Dutch KC-10 tanker, flew to the Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan, in support of the NATO ground forces in Afghanistan as part of the Operation Enduring Freedom.

In 2004, the older C-130H Hercules fleet of three transport aircraft (bought by the government in 1973) was replaced by three of the more-advanced and stretched C-130J transport aircraft. A fourth C-130J joined in 2007.

In 2005, a modification program (Mid Life Update) was completed on the remaining F-16 aircraft. The modification programme, started in 1995, introduced a new mission computer, color multifunction displays, and other avionic improvements. Despite the modifications and improvements, the Danish Air Force is considering the replacement of 30 F-16s with a more advanced fighter. Contenders include the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter, Saab Aviation Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon. The decision of the selected type will be announced before the end of June 2015.[10]

Danish airforce challenger 604 at riat 2010 arp

Bombardier Challenger CL-604 at RIAT 2010

In 2003, 16 H-500 Cayuse and 13 Eurocopter AS550C2 Fennec from the Army Flying Service and eight Westland Lynx Mk. 90B from the Naval Air Squadron were supposed to be transferred to the Air Force. The 16 Cayuse and 13 Fennec helicopters were transferred to the newly re-formed Danish Squadron 724. The eight Lynx helicopters were supposed to enter another re-formed squadron, Squadron 728, but for political reasons those helicopters remained with the Navy. This change of "ownership" of the naval helicopters became effective on 1 January 2011 when the naval helicopters joined the newly formed Squadron 723. The Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO), short listed 5 helicopters as potential replacements for the Lynx with around 12 new naval helicopters needed. The Sikorsky/Lockheed MH-60R, the NH90/NFH, H-92, AW159 and AW101 were on the short list and a Request For Proposal was issued on 30 September 2010. Ultimately the Air Force decided to buy 9 Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters.

In 2005, the 16 Cayuses were decommissioned, an also one of the Fennecs. The remaining 12 Fennecs took over many of the tasks from the Cayuses, including support-functions of the Danish police.

In 2006, the Air Force signed a letter of intent to purchase several of the Boeing Integrated Defense C-17 Globemaster III. That order needs to be confirmed, but it is to be made on the basis of the formation of a shared NATO C-17 air fleet to support international deployments. Denmark has later withdrawn from this arrangement but it is in existence today. See NATO Strategic Airlift Capability. The United States and the United Kingdom have already bought numerous C-17s, and several other NATO countries are considering doing so, too. In June 2007, Denmark’s six EH101 transport helicopters were transferred to the British Royal Air Force to meet an urgent British requirement for additional transport helicopters.[11] and in 2009 6 replacement AW101 were delivered to the Air Force from Agustawestland Yeowil and paid for by the UK.

In June 2010 the Sikorsky S-61 SAR helicopter was withdrawn.

Organisation[]

Danish Air Force bases
Station Nord is beyond the map

All Danish military aircraft have since the early sixties been registered with a pennant letter and the last three digits from the factory serial number.

  • Fighter Wing Skrydstrup based at Skrydstrup AB.
  • Flyveskolen (Flying School) based at Karupdisambiguation needed AB
    • 27[2] SAAB-MFI T-17 pennant letter T
  • Air Control Wing
    • Control and Reporting Centre Karup (CRC Karup) based at Karupdisambiguation needed AB
    • Mobile Air Control Centre (MACC) based at Karupdisambiguation needed AB
  • Combat Support Wing
    • Wing staff
    • Eskadrille 615 (combat communications)
    • Eskadrille 660 (force protection)
    • Eskadrille 680 (combat service support)
    • Eskadrille 690 (medic)

Outside the wing structure is the school structure with the Royal Danish Air Force Officers School in Jonstruplejren near Værløse and the Royal Danish Air Force Specialist School at Karup AB.

Operations[]

Royal Danish Air Force F-100 Super Sabre patch

RDAF F-100 Super Sabre patch

  • From 1960 to 1964 RDAF S-55 helicopters flew missions for UNOC in the Congolese civil war.
  • In 1999 9 F-16 fighters flew sorties over Kosovo from Grazzanise AB, Italy as part of Operation Allied Force.
  • In 2002 and 2003 6 F-16 fighter bombers flew 743 sorties against Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan from Ganci AB, Kyrgyzstan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
  • From July to October 2004, 4 F-16 fighters in Šiauliai, Lithuania, was Denmark's contribution to NATO's Operation Baltic Air Policing. The air policing mission was also undertaken by Danish F-16s in 2009, 2011 and 2013[12]
  • In 2005 three AS550C2 Fennec helicopters were deployed to Iraq for two months to assist the Danish ground forces during the first free elections in the country. In 2007 four Fennecs again deployed to Iraq, this time mainly to provide airborne reconnaissance for convoys on the ground around Basra. The helicopters completed 354 missions before returning home in December 2007.[13]
  • 4 AS550C2 Fennec helicopters belonging to the 724th Squadron of the Helicopter Wing were deployed to Afghanistan on 11 June 2008. These helicopters were based at Camp Bastion, northwest of Lashkar Gar, the capital of Helmand province, and were assigned to provide high altitude observation for Danish ground forces, as well as light transport.[14]
  • From 19 March 2011, 6 F-16 aircraft from Fighter Wing Skrydstrup were deployed to Naval Air Station Sigonella on Sicily to assist in maintaining the no-fly zone over Libya as part of the 2011 coalition intervention in Libya.

Aircraft inventory[]

T-405 RIAT Bthebest

T-17 Supporter at RIAT 2010

Aircraft Origin Type Versions Quantity Unit Notes
Fighter aircraft
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Flag of the United States US
Flag of Belgium (civil) Belgium
fighter F-16AM
F-16BM
24
6
727 Fighter Squadron
730 Fighter Squadron
Total received: 60x F-16A, 17x F-16B
52x updated to Block 50/52; 15 stored
Transport aircraft
Lockheed C-130 Hercules Flag of the United States US tactical transport C-130J-30 4 721 Squadron
Bombardier CL-604 Challenger Flag of Canada Canada VIP transport CL-604 3 721 Squadron
Trainer aircraft
Saab-MFI 17 Supporter Flag of Sweden Sweden basic trainer/liaison MFI-17 27 Flying School at Karup
Helicopters
AgustaWestland EH-101 Merlin Flag of the United Kingdom UK
Flag of Italy Italy
search & rescue
tactical transport
Model 512 SAR
Model 512 TTT
8
6
722 Squadron
Westland Lynx Flag of the United Kingdom UK naval helicopter Super Lynx Mk 90B 7[15] 723 Squadron ex-Royal Danish Navy
Eurocopter AS 550 Fennec Flag of France France recce helicopter AS 550C2 8 724 Squadron ex-Royal Danish Army
Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk Flag of the United States US naval helicopter MH-60R Seahawk 0 723 Squadron 9 ordered to replace Lynx[16]

Between 1980 and 1983 SABCA in Belgium built 46x F-16A and 12x F-16B for the Royal Danish Air Force. Beginning in 1987 Fokker in the Netherlands built a further 8x F-16A and 4x F-16B for the Royal Danish Air Force. In 1994 the Air Force received 3x F-16A and in 1997 a further 3x F-16A and 1x F-16B from surplus USAF stocks. In total the Royal Danish Air Force received 60x F-16A and 17x F-16B.

Retired aircraft of the Royal Danish Air Force and the Danish Army Air Corps[]

Fighters and bombers[]

Transport[]

Trainers[]

Helicopters[]

Ranks[]

The officer ranks were taken from the Danish army and the insignias were copied from the Royal Air Force with minor differences and are as follows:

NATO Code OF-10 OF-9 OF-8 OF-7 OF-6 OF-5 OF-4 OF-3 OF-2 OF-1 OF(D) Student Officer
Denmark Denmark
(Edit)
No equivalent RDAF Gen RDAF Lt Gen RDAF Maj Gen RDAF Brig Gen RDAF Col RDAF Lt Col RDAF Maj RDAF Capt RDAF 1st Lt RDAF Fly Off RDAF 2nd Lt No equivalent
General Generalløjtnant Generalmajor Brigadegeneral Oberst Oberstløjtnant Major Kaptajn Premierløjtnant Løjtnant Sekondløjtnant

The other rank insignia are as follows:

NATO Code OR-9 OR-8 OR-7 OR-6 OR-5 OR-4 OR-3 OR-2 OR-1
Flag of Denmark Denmark (Edit) None None None No equivalent None None None None None None
Chefsergent Seniorsergent Oversergent Sergent Korporal Flyverspecialist Flyveroverkonstabel Flyverkonstabel Flyverkonstabelelev

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Royal Danish Air Force and the edit history here.
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