The Swedish Air Force Flying Training School at Malmen air base near Linköping might have created the world’s most efficient military pilot training system, despite flying a very old platform in the Saab Sk 60.
INDUSTRY REPORT EUROPEAN TRAINERS
THE SWEDISH AIR Force (Flygvapnet) prides itself on being a compact, yet technologically advanced, air arm. Despite six squadrons of Saab JAS 39 Gripens to support, demand for new pilots from its indigenous training program is surprisingly low. For this, the Flygvapnet has been driven to rely on the venerable Sk 60 jet trainer — the Swedish designation for the Saab 105 — which has been in service for nearly 50 years and continues today with the Flygskolan (flying training school) at Linköping-Malmen.