Unique interview with Col. Carl “Wiseguy” Bergqvist, Commandant of the Swedish Air Drive Air Warfare Middle, on Gripen upgrades, dispersed operations, counter-UAS developments, and extra.
We just lately had the chance to speak with Col. Carl “Wiseguy” Bergqvist, Commandant of the Swedish Air Warfare Middle, for an in-depth dialogue on the evolving position of the Swedish Air Drive. With the Russian risk now shaping each side of Nordic protection planning, the dialog touched on the way forward for the Gripen C and Gripen E fleets, the speedy growth of counter-UAS capabilities, the return of dispersed and freeway operations, air and missile protection, and the teachings realized in the course of the latest deployment to Poland. Col. Bergqvist supplied uncommon perception into how Sweden is adapting to a quickly altering and more and more contested airspace.
Here’s what he informed us.
The Aviationist: Colonel Bergqvist, may you please introduce your self to our readers?
A: My title is Carl Bergqvist, callsign “Wiseguy.” I’m a fighter pilot by commerce. I used to be commissioned in 2001 and have been flying the Gripen since 2003. I began within the northern a part of Sweden at F 21 Wing. After Command and Workers School, I served as a squadron commander at F 7 Wing within the western a part of Sweden. Since 2019 I’ve been within the Uppsala space. I used to be Head of Capabilities on the Air Workers, then Deputy Chief of Workers for Plans for roughly two years. For about half a 12 months now, I’ve been the Commandant of the Air Warfare Middle in Uppsala.
That’s roughly my background. I’ve about 1,500 hours on the Gripen and have labored within the digital warfare surroundings. I’ve participated in varied large-scale workouts all over the world and have performed a variety of cooperation with the opposite Nordic international locations by way of our cross-border coaching initiatives and the Nordic Air Energy idea.
Q: What’s Sweden’s plan for the Gripen C and D fleet, and the way are upgrades managed?
A: Our plan is to maintain the legacy Gripen C and D plane operational till the late 2030s. We’ve lengthy since retired the A and B variants, however the C and D fashions will keep in service. In Sweden we don’t conduct a standard mid-life replace. As a substitute, we pursue steady growth and functionality uplifts. Each three years we have now a significant model change, and annually we implement smaller updates.
Proper now, we’re getting ready for a bigger shift round 2027 or 2028. That may introduce new capabilities together with a radar improve, enhancements to the digital warfare suite, upgraded information hyperlinks, and the introduction of the KEPD 350 cruise missile. Annual minor updates can embrace radar or weapon enhancements, new capabilities for present weapons, or new frequency bands for jammers.
This steady evolution is feasible thanks to shut collaboration between the Air Drive, the Defence Materiel Administration, and Saab. It’s a very tight partnership that allows speedy functionality growth, and it was one of many key components that allowed us to deploy to Poland and tackle the NATO mission so shortly.
Q: What are Sweden’s concerns for the next-generation fighter past Gripen?
A: Packages akin to FCAS, Tempest and later GCAP didn’t match our timeline a number of years in the past. We’re simply beginning to take supply of Gripen E, and the primary plane was delivered to the Air Drive only some weeks in the past. Gripen E will serve into the 2050s or 2060s, whereas the C and D fashions will probably stay in service till round 2040.
The federal government tasked us with a research to discover future growth and procurement paths in order that Sweden might be an knowledgeable purchaser. The three essential choices are to develop a nationwide fighter, be part of a three way partnership with different nations or producers, or procure an present design and produce it underneath license in Sweden.
We even have contracts with trade to display key applied sciences. Because of this Saab has been testing AI programs on the Gripen E and exploring completely different unmanned ideas.
Q: In the course of the latest deployment to Poland, Sweden fielded the brand new Loke system. What’s it and the way did it carry out?
A: Loke, named after a determine from Norse mythology, is a ground-based system for defending our air bases. It’s a part of our airbase idea primarily based on speedy dispersion and mobility. We wanted a counter-UAS system that might deal with threats each electromagnetically and kinetically.
We had an pressing operational want for that functionality, and we additionally needed to make use of it as a catalyst to enhance cooperation between the Air Drive, trade, and companions. We took programs that weren’t initially designed to work collectively and handed them to our greatest airbase protection specialists, who labored with Saab and others to combine them into one cell resolution. The system detects and engages UAS utilizing each digital warfare and kinetic effectors.
Our Chief of Air Drive authorized the challenge late final 12 months. We achieved the primary firing 84 days later, which was very quick, and about three months after that we deployed it to Poland. Within the meantime, Loke took half in a number of coaching occasions and workouts and has since been utilized in different operational roles.
In the course of the deployment to Poland, we related it to a different C2 system to boost the native air image and built-in it with our Airbase Rangers, who deal with floor safety. We’ve continued to make use of Loke in Sweden this autumn for various actions, each operational deployments in addition to additional growth. The system was even exhibited to President Zelensky throughout his go to to Linköping.
Loke will deploy wherever we have now an operational want. If we ship a fighter unit on a NATO mission, we consider whether or not to carry our personal counter-UAS system or depend on host-nation assist. It’s designed to guard our cell belongings each time we disperse from essential bases to ahead working places. Since we function with small groups for refueling and rearming, a strong counter-UAS functionality is crucial.
Q: How do you view the rising UAS risk in Europe, and what are the challenges in responding to it?
A: UAS threats current many difficulties, and attribution is among the largest. A drone can seem inside nationwide borders with no clear origin, as we noticed when Ukraine efficiently struck Russian long-range aviation earlier this 12 months. Attribution for small unidentified drones is an actual problem, because it usually falls between police and army duties.
This makes guidelines of engagement advanced. There isn’t any unified ROE framework throughout Europe, not even amongst neighboring international locations, and definitely not at EU or NATO stage.
Sweden has sturdy ROE in each the air and sea domains, developed after our submarine incidents within the Nineteen Eighties. Authority is delegated far down the chain of command, which offers deterrence.
We’re very lively with our Fast Response Alert, and we have now been for a few years. Even earlier than becoming a member of NATO we carefully cooperated with our neighbors. Now we’re extra built-in into NATO air policing, however the fundamentals stay the identical. We carry out many scrambles annually; most are to point out presence and collect intelligence, whereas a number of are to discourage incursions.
Flygvapnets incidentberedskap genomförde underneath onsdagen insatser i internationellt luftrum över södra Östersjön. JAS 39 Gripen identifierade en rote ryska stridsflyg av typen SU-30. Därefter eskorterades ett ryskt spaningsflyg av typen IL- 20. Flygvapnet står alltid i beredskap. pic.twitter.com/cgfBREYEiL
— Försvarsmakten (@Forsvarsmakten) September 11, 2025
The rise in exercise began within the early 2010s because the Russian Air Drive turned extra lively, with further will increase in 2014 and 2022. The largest change at present is the even nearer integration with our allies.
🇸🇪 Swedish QRA recognized 🇷🇺 Tu-22 Bombers escorted by Su-35 fighter jets over the Baltic Sea yesterday. Mission carried out in shut cooperation with Baltic Air Policing. #NATOAirPolicing pic.twitter.com/Oe0H11FzDl
— Flygvapnet (@flygvapnet) November 28, 2025
Q: Might you elaborate on the Polish mission and the speedy verification of Gripen’s capabilities?
A: The mission to Poland was successful story for us. We had procured capabilities that permit Gripen to detect and interact very low-speed, low-RCS targets in addition to low-RCS, high-speed ones akin to KH-101-class cruise missiles.
When NATO requested if we may take up the air protection mission, we determined to confirm these capabilities earlier than committing, as a result of at the moment solely the F-35 and F-16 Block 70 have been thought-about capable of deal with such targets as a consequence of their AESA radars.
Our Chief of Air Drive ordered a speedy verification program. We developed a number of targets to check detection and engagement with completely different weapons and in addition needed to confirm nighttime refueling. We already had that functionality, however it was dangerous due to the probe gentle design, so we made a modification in lower than eight weeks over Christmas and New 12 months.
We began flying in week six at Luleå, supported by French Air Drive tankers, and examined each the brand new probe gentle and radar upgrades. FMV modified goal drones at Vidsel to have cruise-missile-like radar cross sections, and we additionally labored towards Shahed-type drones. Every thing labored precisely as deliberate.
From February to Could, earlier than deployment, we continued enhancing radar efficiency and refining techniques. The shut cooperation between the Air Drive, FMV, and Saab made this potential. We even have reserve officers from Saab working throughout the Air Drive, which hurries up growth. It’s satisfying to see that, even with a mechanically scanned radar, Gripen can meet these necessities and adapt techniques shortly.
Q: Sweden has lengthy practiced freeway and dispersed operations. How has that advanced just lately?
A: We didn’t practice a lot for freeway operations between the late Nineties and early 2010s, however we have now reintroduced it. The information was nonetheless within the group, and the freeway strips remained, so rebuilding the aptitude was simple. All our younger pilots now practice for it once more. Gripen is designed for brief and tough strips, so touchdown on a freeway just isn’t notably troublesome, though the runway seems in a short time within the final seconds.
Our essential effort now’s designing our base group to assist dispersed operations and to offer host-nation assist. Within the Nordic area, Finland is the frontline space, whereas Sweden is extra of a rear and basing space, in addition to a transit hall from west to east. We should have the ability to accommodate allied belongings in Sweden, so our airbase models are growing the power to assist each Swedish and allied operations.
We’re conscious that not all allies have plane optimized for dispersed or tough operations, so we may have to supply them our essential bases.
In a contested state of affairs, we’d completely function from international strips within the area. The Nordic Air Energy Idea consists of versatile airbasing that follows NATO plane cross-servicing ideas. We’re growing the power to make use of one another’s bases earlier than Article 5 conditions, for refueling and presumably rearming, utilizing pre-positioned or shared shops. This can permit us to function from Norway or Finland and vice versa.
Q: Many air forces are returning to Chilly Warfare ideas like shelters and dispersion. What’s Sweden’s strategy?
A: Constructing hardened shelters could be very costly and would make us extra mounted and predictable, which will increase vulnerability. Our idea emphasizes mobility and dispersion, each exterior between bases and inner inside every base.
We mix that with deception and masking to restrict visibility for adversaries. Counter-UAS capabilities and unmanned programs for base surveillance are additionally a part of this.
Our base protection models are wonderful. Traditionally, the bottom risk was our essential concern due to our dispersed mannequin. Now, with long-range precision weapons, the problem has elevated, however our strategy has been validated. The Ukrainian Air Drive’s success with related techniques has strengthened our decisions.
We won’t cover inside mountains. We’ll preserve shifting whereas guaranteeing that we are able to host and assist allied forces working from Sweden. Many allies are finding out our and Finland’s programs to see what might be tailored for their very own platforms, which weren’t designed for dispersed operations.
Q: How is coaching evolving to handle new threats akin to drones and cruise missiles?
A: Our OT&E unit throughout the Air Warfare Middle develops new techniques, strategies, and procedures along with frontline squadrons, so information spreads shortly. We’ve adjusted the curriculum in order that younger pilots coming from Part 4 turn out to be combat-ready earlier.
The largest change is how we combine coaching and operations. When a unit deploys, as an illustration to Poland, its mission isn’t just alert obligation. They practice, develop, and educate on the identical time. They bring about youthful pilots to achieve publicity and fly easier missions, and so they check new tools or procedures, usually along with companions such because the German Air Drive.
It’s a completely different mindset now. We now not separate readiness, coaching, and operations; we combine them in every little thing we do.
Q: What about worldwide exchanges and pilot coaching in Italy?
A: We shouldn’t have alternate pilots in the intervening time, however we need to restart this system. I as soon as had a Swiss pilot in my squadron, which was extraordinarily beneficial. It challenged our views and allowed us to study from one another.
Sending our younger pilots to Italy for Part 3 and Part 4 coaching is one other manner of exposing them to completely different operational cultures, and I imagine it should profit us tremendously. We even have alternate packages for different models, akin to these dealing with base operations and command-and-control, together with officers in our management and reporting facilities.
Q: How is Sweden growing built-in air and missile protection?
A: Built-in Air and Missile Protection is inherently multi-domain, and you can’t obtain air protection with out effectors from different domains. We’re reinvesting in naval surface-to-air missile functionality for our Visby-class corvettes and their successors. We’ve additionally invested closely in Patriot and IRIS-T programs for ground-based air protection and are increasing our GBAD models.
We’re investing in area capabilities and constructing area area consciousness. On the bottom facet, we’re changing virtually all radar programs, buying new long-range, very-long-range, and low-level radars to increase protection each in vary and altitude.
We are actually related with Denmark, Finland and Norway and share sensor information. Integrating this inside NATO’s IAMD framework is difficult however obligatory, and we’re making good progress. Beforehand, we developed these capabilities nationally, however now we should ship them as a part of NATO.
Current occasions, akin to Israel’s protection towards Iranian missiles and drones, present how advanced and resource-intensive trendy air protection has turn out to be, and what number of sensors and interceptors are wanted even to guard a small space.
Q: Sweden just lately ordered new AEW, airlift, and refueling platforms. Are you able to give us an replace?
A: We’ve signed for 3 Saab S 106 plane, also known as GlobalEye. We’ve not but assigned an official Swedish Air Drive title to the platform. It’ll considerably enhance our airborne early warning and floor and sea surveillance capabilities due to its multi-role design.
We’re growing a dispersal idea for it utilizing cell containerized options and tent hangars that permit speedy relocation inside Sweden and throughout the Nordic area. It’ll combine carefully with Gripen, our ground-based air protection, and the Navy. There may be sturdy curiosity from different European air forces as nicely. The radar vary and AESA efficiency are wonderful.
We’ve additionally ordered 4 new C-390s for tactical airlift in cooperation with the Netherlands and Austria. It’s a sturdy successor to our Hercules, including new capabilities for each particular operations and conventional airlift.
As for air-to-air refueling, we’re becoming a member of the MRTT Multinational Unit. It offers a lot better offload capability than the outdated KC-130 conversion and permits participation with a small personnel footprint, much like our involvement within the Strategic Airlift Functionality in Hungary.
Q: How do you stability transparency and operational safety, particularly with public flight monitoring?
A: We attempt to be as clear as potential as a result of transparency helps strategic communications and deterrence. There isn’t any want to cover most of our actions; we really need them to be observed. In fact, some operations stay protected by safety guidelines, however we have now sturdy assist from Swedish society.
We’re good at not displaying what we don’t wish to present, and that self-discipline strengthens our abilities in masking and deception, that are additionally a part of deterrence.
Relating to flight-tracking websites akin to FlightRadar24, if a Swedish army plane is seen there, it is actually because we wish it to be seen!
Fascinating. After “watching” Kaliningrad for months this Swedish ELINT plane has deployed to Cyprus to hitch ISR efforts off Syria. With all of the belongings within the space (RC-135, RQ-4, IAF G550s and so on) I ponder if the SwAF airplane is there as a result of it has sensors/capabilities others lack
— David Cenciotti (@cencio4) Could 1, 2018
The creator needs to thank Col. Carl Bergqvist, Commander of the Air Warfare Centre, for his time and endurance in answering all questions. Particular thanks additionally go to Therese Åkerstedt, Head of Communication & Public Affairs, Swedish Air Drive, and Michaela Pedersen, Chief Secretary, Air Warfare Centre, for his or her assist in getting ready the interview.
