Swedish Air Force Takes Delivery of New GROB G120TP Training Aircrafts

During a ceremony in Linköping, the Air Force Chief received the new school plane SK 40. The plane will be used for basic training of pilot students at the Aviation School. The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration handed over the first three of a total of ten ordered training aircraft of the GROB G120TP type, called SK 40 in the Air Force. The SK 40 is a two-seat turboprop aircraft with autopilot, a so-called Basic Trainer Aircraft. The predecessor SK 60 has been in active service in the Air Force since 1967. The flight school is part of the Luftstridsskolan and trains fighter pilots, helicopter pilots and transport pilots for the entire Air Force. The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration handed over the first three of a total of ten ordered training aircraft of the GROB G120TP type, called SK 40 in the Air Force.

“The close cooperation between the Air Force, FMV and the manufacturer Grob Aircraft means that we can now, three years after the government’s decision on procurement, welcome a new school flight for the basic flight training of our pilots. This means that we are now taking the step into the new military flight training system. With the SK 40 in place here, we get a modern and reliable aircraft with high availability,” says Air Force Chief Jonas Wikman.

“To all of you who have worked hard with the introduction of SK 40, I want to say a warm thank you and the development of the new flight training has already begun. It is inspiring to have a new aircraft and it will give our students the basic flying skills required to be able to continue their training on the way to becoming a fighter pilot,” says Anna Siverstig, head of the Air Combat School.

Because the plane is used during basic flight training in the Air Force, it has been given a clear orange color for flight safety reasons. (PH๏τo by Swedish Armed Forces)

Personnel from the Flight School, the introduction group, have already completed the type approach on the SK 40. The approach has been carried out in connection with the manufacturer GROB’s factory in Mindelheim, Germany. During the autumn, the remaining flight instructors will carry out the approach on the SK 40. In addition to the aircraft, a new simulator and a computer-based training aid for theory (CBT) are also being acquired. The first fighter pilot students to be trained at SK 40 will begin in August next year. The dismantling of SK 60 also means that the current flight training is being redone and from January 2024, and parts of the training will be carried out in Italy. Fighter pilot students will then be trained at Galatina airbase outside Lecce and Decimomannu airbase in Sardinia. The training is carried out by the Italian Air Force with the support of Swedish flight instructors.

The Grob G 120TP is a two-seat turboprop training and aerobatic low-wing aircraft with a composite airframe, built by Grob Aircraft. It is based on the Grob G 120A training aircraft and has been developed for military and civil pilots training. It has a retractable tricycle landing gear and a low tailplane. Designed to be a further development of the G 120A, the G 120TP turned during the development process into a nearly new type of aircraft. Due to the new powertrain, the G 120TP offers new capabilities for basic and advanced pilot training, where it can be used as a lead-in for a jet trainer. An autopilot and air conditioning system are available, as well as an oxygen system and second thrust lever. EASA Part 23 type certification was completed in May 2013. The first customer was the Indonesian Air Force.

During a ceremony in Linköping, the Swedish Air Force Chief took delivery of the first Grob 40 basic training aircraft. From left to right: André Hiebler CEO Grob Aircraft; Lars Helmrich, aircraft business area manager for FMV; Air Force Chief Jonas Wikman and Anna Siverstig head of the Swedish Air Force Flight school. (PH๏τo by Swedish Armed Forces)