Eskadrille 721

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.

Squadron 721
Eskadrille 721
Founded1 October 1950 (1950-10-01)
Country Denmark
Branch Royal Danish Air Force
TypeAir Transport
Part ofAir Transport Wing Aalborg
Garrison/HQFlyvestation Aalborg
Motto(s)Fortis, Firmus Undique (Strong, Reliable, Everywhere)
Aircraft flown
TrainerSaab T-17 Supporter
TransportLockheed C-130J Super Hercules
Bombardier CL-604 Challenger

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

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.

Current equipment

Currently Eskadrille 721 operates:

See also

References
  1. Nikolajsen 1970, p.18.
  2. http://forsvaret.dk/FTK/Nyt%20og%20Presse/Nyhedsarkiv/nyheder/2004/Pages/Eskadrille%20721%20Flyvevåbnets%20transporteskadrille.aspx%5B%5D
  3. 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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.