Swedish Military Aircraft Designations

HTML formatting Copyright © 2001-2006 Andreas Parsch
Designation listings based on lists compiled by Urban Fredriksson

1 Swedish Aircraft Designation System

2 Designation Listing

2.1 Designations 1926 - 1940
2.2 Designations since 1940

3 Sources and Additional Information

1 Swedish Aircraft Designation System

From its creation in 1926, the Swedish Air Force used an aircraft designation similar in concept to the current U.S. system, using type letters, model numbers, and series letters. When the Army and Navy obtained own aircraft after 1926 (mostly helicopters, but including a few fixed-wing aircraft), they also used this designation system.

The basic designation consists of mission/type letter(s) (1) and a number (2). Initially, each mission/type code used a separate model number series (as in the current U.S. system). However, this was changed in 1940, when it was decided that each basic type should receive a unique number regardless of its mission. This is similar to the current Canadian system. Aircraft of the same basic type modified for different missions use the same number, prefixed by the appropriate mission letter. Multimission aircraft use several mission letters. Note that there is no dash between the mission letter(s) and the model number.

Initially, the numbers were assigned to reflect manufacturers' or U.S. military designations (e.g. AT-16 = Sk 16, C-45 = Tp 45, Saab 91 = Tp 91). Types within the same braod category (like combat, transport, training, etc.) were then often given the next number, which resulted in several non-overlapping "sequences" of designations. The gaps between these sequences are of no special significance. Numbers from 801 and up were used for leased aircraft. The only "real" designation in this range, however, is the Fpl 801.

The following mission/type codes are defined:

• A - Attack
• B - Bomb (Bomber)
• Fpl - Flygplan (Aeroplane) (used by the Army for fixed-wing aircraft)
• Hkp - Helikopter (Helicopter)
• J - Jakt (Fighter)
• Ö - Övning (Advanced Trainer) (no longer used)
• P - Prov (Trials, Prototypes and Other) (no longer used)
• S - Spaning (Reconnaissance)
• Sk - Skol (Trainer)
• T - Torped (Torpedo Bomber) (no longer used)
• Tp - Transport (originally Trp)

Note: Multiletter type codes (Fpl, Hkp, Sk, Tp) are now usually written in all capitals (FPL, HKP, SK, TP). This new spelling was apparently introduced around 1964. For the sake of consistency, I use the mixed-case prefixes for all designations in this document.

Gliders were numbered in a special series, using numbers 101 and up, and the following prefixes:

• G - Glidflygplan (Glider)
• Se - Segelflygplan (Soarer)
• Lg - Lastglidare (Transport Glider)

The suffix letter (3) is optional and indicates a modification. The letters are assigned alphabetically. Originally, the first version used no suffix letter, the first modification used "A", etc. Since the J28, the standard pratice is to add suffixes as needed. If there is only a single version of a type, it uses no suffix, but when several variants are planned or procured from the start, the first gets suffix "A", the second "B", etc. If no suffix was initially used, and additional variants are added to the inventory, the new versions receive suffixes "B", "C", etc. The original un-suffixed version is sometimes (but not always, possibly depending on whether it has already been operational or not) redesignated with an "A" suffix.

A few special suffixes were used on some early types to designate different landing gear configurations:

• H - Hydroplan (Float plane); later S - Sjöflygplan (Seaplane)
• L - Landflygplan (Land Plane)

2 Designation Listing

The listings are provided in two parts. The first listings include the pre-1940 designations, and are divided into the various mission/type series.

The post-1940 designations are provided in a single list, reflecting the practice of using a unique number for each basic aircraft type. Helicopters are still listed separately, because their numbering sequence started at 1, and doesn't integrate well into the aeroplane model number series.

2.1 Designations 1926 - 1940

A - Attack

B - Bomb (Bomber)

J - Jakt (Fighter)

Ö - Övning (Advanced Trainer)

P - Prov (Trials, Prototypes and Other)

S - Spaning (Reconnaissance)

Sk - Skol (Trainer)

T - Torped (Torpedo)

Tp - Transport

2.2 Designations since 1940

Aeroplanes

Helicopters

Gliders

3 Sources and Additional Information

The information presented on this page has been obtained almost exclusively from Urban Fredriksson's Swedish (and Worldwide) Military Aviation web site. Please refer to Urban's site for detailed and extensive information about Swedish military aviation, including descriptions and photographs of almost all of the aircraft (including many prototypes and projects).

Comments and corrections to: Andreas Parsch

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