History UsefulNotes / SwedesWithCoolPlanes

Interestingly Sweden was once one of the greatest military powers in Europe and it had armies led by [[WarriorPrince Warrior Princes]] like Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII. Its domination of the iron cannon industry in the 17th century arguably helped. Also note that in spite of a 200-year old policy of neutrality (now arguably abolished in practice through the Lisbon Treaty, among other things) Sweden has been very active in peacekeeping operations throughout the latter part of the 20th century. Notable contributions include The Congo Crisis in the 60's, Kosovo 90's to present, Sudan/Chad in the early 00's and Afghanistan and anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden today.

The Swedish Armed Forces is responsible for protecting Sweden. The King was the ''de jure'' commander-in-chief until 1971, after which command was delegated to the Supreme Commander (Överbefälhavaren, usually abbreviated to ÖB). The King is formally a four-star admiral, and as such equal in rank to ÖB, but has no command. It was understood long before 1971 that the King would not take active part in any military action.

The Swedish Armed Forces are composed of the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy, which includes the Amphibious Force or Marines.

Because the Swedes make their own military equipment they have also been able to design equipment to fit their special needs and tactics. The S-Tank (Stridsvagn 103) with the FixedForwardFacingWeapon have been designed to use a type of {{hit and run tactic|s}}. The tanks would dig into the ground (or snow), wait for the Soviet tanks, shoot, sprint backwards and then rinse and repeat as needed. The lack of turret limited their ability to aim, but also made them rather small targets that were hard to aim ''at''. A more recent example is the stealthy ''Gotland''-class submarines, designed for anti-ship/anti-submarine warfare and intelligence. In a recent NATO exercise, one of them infiltrated a [[YanksWithTanks US Navy Carrier Battle Group]] and photographed the fleet carrier USS ''Ronald Reagan'' from torpedo range, then withdrew, completely undetected. In another exercise, a ''Gotland'' sank a US ballistic missile submarine, also undetected.

Because the Swedes make their own military equipment they have also been able to design equipment to fit their special needs and tactics. The S-Tank (Stridsvagn 103) with the FixedForwardFacingWeapon have been designed to use a type of {{hit and run tactic|s}}. The tanks would dig into the ground (or snow), wait for the Soviet tanks, shoot, sprint backwards and then rinse and repeat as needed. The lack of turret limited their ability to aim, but also made them rather small targets that were hard to aim ''at''. A more recent example is the stealthy Gotland class submarines, designed for anti-ship/anti-submarine warfare and intelligence. In wargame exercises with the US navy one of these submarines have "sunk" both the USS Ronald Reagan, the most advanced submarines.

Sweden also had a [[TheRestOfTheNuclearClub nuclear weapons program]] in the 1950s through the 1970s, primarily to maintain an independent deterrent in the UsefulNotes/ColdWar--neutrality did not mean that Sweden had any guarantees it would be kept out of the crossfire should WorldWarIII break out (unlike their fellow neutrals in [[UsefulNotes/SwissWithArmyKnives Switzerland]], Swedish borders are a lot longer and less mountainous), and the Swedes wanted something to back it up. It was scrapped in favor of the aforementioned Viggen, but Sweden's active civilian nuclear program is widely considered to give it breakout capacity (the capability to construct a nuclear weapon at relatively short notice).

Until recently, Sweden relied on conscription of men, due to the need to be able to put together an Army that could hold its own against the USSR, should the ColdWar go hot. Women have been able to volunteer since 1980. Recently, conscription has been abolished, due to changes in international politics, and an increasing focus on peacekeeping operations, as opposed to homeland defense.

Sweden avoided both [[WorldWarOne World]] [[WorldWarTwo Wars]], mainly due to subservience and sheer dumb luck. (Although being one of Germany's largest suppliers of iron ore certainly didn't hurt.) Considering the crappy state of the Swedish military at the time, this was probably not a bad idea. To give you some idea of the state of Swedish preparations for {{WWII}}, men who owned hunting rifles were advised to bring them and ammunition, since they were guaranteed to be better than the standard Army issue rifles.

The Swedes make their own military equipment, and Saab AB (not to be confused with SAAB Automobile that was sold to GM then sold to Spyker in 2009 and now in bankrupcy since 2011) makes veritably cool planes, like the [[CoolPlane Draken]] (''Dragon''), [[CoolPlane Viggen]] (''Thunderbolt''), and [[CoolPlane Gripen]] (''Gryphon'') fighters, all delta-wing, and according to them, will shame the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-22 Raptor of the United States. There is some tradition behind this, with Sweden having managed to do odd things like being the first country outside the Soviet Union, Germany and the USA to develop and mass-produce swept-wing jet-fighters in the wake of WW2, with the aptly named J 29 Flygande Tunnan (''Flying Barrel''). In the beginning of the 1950's, Sweden was estimated to have the world's fourth largest air force.

Sweden also had a [[TheRestOfTheNuclearClub nuclear weapons program]] in the 1950s through the 1970s, primarily to maintain an independent deterrent in the ColdWar--neutrality did not mean that Sweden had any guarantees it would be kept out of the crossfire should WorldWarIII break out (unlike their fellow neutrals in [[UsefulNotes/SwissWithArmyKnives Switzerland]], Swedish borders are a lot longer and less mountainous), and the Swedes wanted something to back it up. It was scrapped in favor of the aforementioned Viggen, but Sweden's active civilian nuclear program is widely considered to give it breakout capacity (the capability to construct a nuclear weapon at relatively short notice).

And we can't forget the [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon ARCHER artillery system]]. It's rate of fire is 8-9 rounds per minute and deployment time is 30 seconds. It is capable of firing 155 mm rounds and supports [[DeathFromAbove M982 Excalibur]], a GPS guided shell. Using Excalibur ARCHER can with a accurately hit targets up to 60 km away.

* ''Wargame: European Escalation'': The sequel to this Real-time tactics simulation, Wargame: Air-Land Battle features combat within Sweden amidst WorldWarIII classic. Story-wise, the Soviets were fighting against Norwegian troops, then after Sweden decided to mobilize it's forces, the Pact preemptively invades.

* In the TomClancy novel TheCardinalOfTheKremlin the USS Dallas is discovered and hailed by a Swedish patrol craft when entering the Baltic Sea, the whole incident is resolved within half a page. Oh, and the Swedish captain speaks in a FunetikAksent.

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<<|ForcesWithFirepower|>>

* ''Wargame: European Escalation'': The sequel Wargame: Air-Land Battle features combat within Sweden amidst WorldWarIII classic. Story-wise, the Soviets were fighting against Norwegian troops, then after Sweden decided to mobilize it's forces, the Pact preemptively invades.

Because the Swedes make their own military equipment they have also been able to design equipment to fit their special needs and tactics. The S-Tank (Stridsvagn 103) with the FixedForwardFacingWeapon have been designed to use a type of [[HitAndRunTactics hit And run tactic]]. The tanks would dig into the ground (or snow), wait for the Soviet tanks, shoot, sprint backwards and then rinse and repeat as needed. The lack of turret limited their ability to aim, but also made them rather small targets that were hard to aim ''at''. A more recent example is the stealthy Gotland class submarines, designed for anti-ship/anti-submarine warfare and intelligence. In wargame exercises with the US navy one of these submarines have "sunk" both the USS Ronald Reagan, the most advanced submarines.

Because the Swedes make their own military equipment they have also been able to design equipment to fit their special needs and tactics. The S-Tank(Stridsvagn 103) with the FixedForwardFacingWeapon have been designed to use a type of [[HitAndRunTactics hit And run tactic]]. The tanks would dig into the ground(or snow), wait for the soviet tanks, shoot, sprint backwards and then rinse and repeat as needed. A more recent example is the stealthy Gotland class submarines, designed for anti-ship/anti-submarine warfare and intelligence. In wargame exercises with the US navy one of these submarines have "sunk" both the USS Ronald Reagan, the most advanced submarines.

Sweden also had a [[TheRestOfTheNuclearClub nuclear weapons program]] in the 1950s through the 1970s, primarily to maintain an independent deterrent in the ColdWar--neutrality did not mean that Sweden had any guarantees it would be kept out of the crossfire should WorldWarIII break out, and the Swedes wanted something to back it up. It was scrapped in favor of the aforementioned Viggen, but Sweden's active civilian nuclear program is widely considered to give it breakout capacity (the capability to construct a nuclear weapon at relatively short notice).

And we can't forget the [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon ARCHER artillery system]]. It's rate of fire is 8-9 rounds per minute and deployment time is 30 seconds. It is capable of firing 155 mm rounds and support [[DeathFromAbove M982 Excalibur]], a GPS guided shell. Using Excalibur ARCHER can with a accurately hit targets up to 60 km away.

And we can't forget the ARCHER artillery system. It's rate of fire is 8-9 rounds per minute and deployment time is 30 seconds. It is capable of firing 155 mm rounds and support M982 Excalibur, a GPS guided shells. Using Excalibur ARCHER can with a accurately hit targets up to 60 km away.

The Swedes make their own military equipment, and Saab AB (not to be confused with SAAB Automobile that was sold to GM then sold to Spyker in 2009 and now in bankrupcy since 2011) makes veritably cool planes, like the [[CoolPlane Draken]] (''Dragon''), [[CoolPlane Viggen]] (''Thunderbolt''), and [[CoolPlane Gripen]] (''Gryphon'') fighters, all delta-wing, [[YourMilageMayVary and according to them]], will shame the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-22 Raptor of the United States. There is some tradition behind this, with Sweden having managed to do odd things like being the first country outside the Soviet Union, Germany and the USA to develop and mass-produce swept-wing jet-fighters in the wake of WW2, with the aptly named J 29 Flygande Tunnan (''Flying Barrel''). In the beginning of the 1950's, Sweden was estimated to have the world's fourth largest air force.

Sweden also had a [[TheRestOfTheNuclearClub nuclear weapons program]] in the 1950s through the 1970s, primarily to maintain an independent deterrent in the ColdWar--neutrality did not mean that it had any guarantees it would keep out of the crossfire should WorldWarIII break out, and the Swedes wanted something to back it up. It was scrapped in favor of the aforementioned Viggen, but Sweden's active civilian nuclear program is widely considered to give it breakout capacity (the capability to construct a nuclear weapon at relatively short notice).

Sweden also had a [[TheRestOfTheNuclearProgram nuclear weapons program]] in the 1950s through the 1970s, primarily to maintain an independent deterrent in the ColdWar--neutrality did not mean that it had any guarantees it would keep out of the crossfire should WorldWarIII break out, and the Swedes wanted something to back it up. It was scrapped in favor of the aforementioned Viggen, but Sweden's active civilian nuclear program is widely considered to give it breakout capacity (the capability to construct a nuclear weapon at relatively short notice).

The Swedes make their own military equipment, and Saab AB (not to be confused with SAAB Automobile that was sold to GM) makes veritably cool planes, like the [[CoolPlane Draken]] (''Dragon''), [[CoolPlane Viggen]] (''Thunderbolt''), and [[CoolPlane Gripen]] (''Gryphon'') fighters, all delta-wing, [[YourMilageMayVary and according to them]], will shame the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-22 Raptor of the United States. There is some tradition behind this, with Sweden having managed to do odd things like being the first country outside the Soviet Union, Germany and the USA to develop and mass-produce swept-wing jet-fighters in the wake of WW2, with the aptly named J 29 Flygande Tunnan (''Flying Barrel''). In the beginning of the 1950's, Sweden was estimated to have the world's fourth largest air force.

The Swedes make their own military equipment, and Saab Aircraft (the now-defunct car company was sold to GM) makes veritably cool planes, like the [[CoolPlane Draken]] (''Dragon''), [[CoolPlane Viggen]] (''Thunderbolt''), and [[CoolPlane Gripen]] (''Gryphon'') fighters, all delta-wing, [[YourMilageMayVary and according to them]], will shame the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-22 Raptor of the United States. There is some tradition behind this, with Sweden having managed to do odd things like being the first country outside the Soviet Union, Germany and the USA to develop and mass-produce swept-wing jet-fighters in the wake of WW2, with the aptly named J 29 Flygande Tunnan (''Flying Barrel''). In the beginning of the 1950's, Sweden was estimated to have the world's fourth largest air force.

The Swedes make their own military equipment, and Saab Aircraft (the now-defunct car company was sold to GM) makes veritably cool planes, like the Draken (''Dragon''), Viggen (''Thunderbolt''), and Gripen (''Gryphon'') fighters, all delta-wing, [[YourMilageMayVary and according to them]], will shame the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-22 Raptor of the United States. There is some tradition behind this, with Sweden having managed to do odd things like being the first country outside the Soviet Union, Germany and the USA to develop and mass-produce swept-wing jet-fighters in the wake of WW2, with the aptly named J 29 Flygande Tunnan (''Flying Barrel''). In the beginning of the 1950's, Sweden was estimated to have the world's fourth largest air force.

The Swedes make their own military equipment, and Saab Aircraft (the now-defunct car company was sold to GM) makes veritably cool planes, like the Draken (''Dragon''), Viggen (''Thunderbolt''), and Gripen (''Gryphon'') fighters, all delta-wing, [[YourMilageMayVary and according to them]], will shame the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-22 Raptor of the United States. There is some tradition behind this, with Sweden having managed to do odd things like being the first country outside the Soviet Union, Germany and the USA to develop and mass-produce swept-wing jet-fighters in the wake of WW2, with the aptly named J 29 Flygande Tunnan (''Flying Barrel'').

Sweden avoided both [[WorldWarOne World]] [[WorldWarTwo Wars]], mainly due to subservience and sheer dumb luck. Considering the crappy state of the Swedish military at the time, this was probably not a bad idea. To give you some idea of the state of Swedish preparations for {{WWII}}, men who owned hunting rifles were advised to bring them and ammunition, since they were guaranteed to be better than the standard Army issue rifles.

The Swedish Armed Forces is responsible for protecting Sweden. The King was the ''de jure'' commander-in-chief until 1971, after which command was delegated to the Supreme Commander (Överbefälhavaren, usually abbreviated to ÖB). The King is formally a four-star general, and as such equal in rank to ÖB, but has no command. It was understood long before 1971 that the King would not take active part in any military action.

Interestingly Sweden was once one of the greatest military powers in Europe and it had armies led by [[WarriorPrince Warrior Princes]] like Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII. Its domination of the iron cannon industry in the 17th century arguably helped.

Sweden avoided both [[WorldWarOne World]] [[WorldWarTwo Wars]], mainly due to subservience and sheer dumb luck. Considering the crappy state of the Swedish military at the time, this was probably not a bad idea.

Swedish hand-held weapons of various kinds have a reputation for being durable and reliable, and are used by many armies around the world. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Gustav_M/45#Users Swedish SMGs]] were used by the U.S. Navy [=SEALs=] in Vietnam, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Gustav_recoilless_rifle Swedish recoilless rifles]] were used by the British in the Falklands, and are currently used by SOCOM and the U.S Army Rangers, among others, and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT4 AT4 anti-tank weapon]] currently used by many national armies, including the U.S. Armed Forces, is a Swedish design.

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