The flying school (Luftstridsskolan) of the Swedish Air Force (SwAF) conducted the air force’s traditional ‘Christmas Tree Flight’ on 19 December 2023 with a dozen Saab 105 twinjet trainers (designated SK 60s in Swedish service).
The flight celebrated 60 years of operations with the Saab 105, which made its maiden flight on 29 June 1963, but also marked its last ‘Christmas Tree Flight’; the type is being phased out from the beginning of next year.
For this reason the flight took the aircraft over the castles at Uppsala and Stockholm before ending up at the type’s home base in Linköping, allowing as many people as possible to see it.
Regarding the replacement of the Saab 105s, in May 2021 the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) ordered seven Grob G 120TP twin-seat turboprop aircraft to operate as basic trainers for the SwAF, where they will be designated SK 40s. The first fighter pilot students to fly the SK 40 will begin their training in August 2024.
From the beginning of 2024 more advanced jet training will be carried out in Italy by the Italian Air Force with the support of Swedish flight instructors. This will take place at Galatina airbase outside Lecce and Decimomannu airbase in Sardinia, where the Italian Air Force uses M-346 advanced jet trainers.
Despite Saab’s coproduction with Boeing of the T-7A advanced jet trainer, the SwAF has no plans to procure this type.
The SwAF is the last operator of the Saab 105. The SwAF’s current jet training fleet comprises 46 Saab 105s delivered from 1967.
The only other user of the type, the Austrian Air Force, retired its Saab 105s on 31 December 2020 after 50 years of service.
