Danish Naval Air Squadron
Encyclopedia
Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish, Greenlandic and Faroese territorial waters...
, from 1977 to 2010-12-31. Operationally it was directly under command of the Danish Naval Command, but maintenance of the eight Westland Lynx
Westland Lynx
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants...
helicopters and training of personnel was in cooperation with the air force
Royal Danish Air Force
The Royal Danish Air Force is the air force of Denmark with the capability to undertake homeland defense and homeland security roles as well international operations.-History:...
. The helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s was used primarily for fishery Patrol, shipboard support and coastal Search & Rescue (SAR) missions.
The tasks and hardware has now been transferred to the Air Force
Royal Danish Air Force
The Royal Danish Air Force is the air force of Denmark with the capability to undertake homeland defense and homeland security roles as well international operations.-History:...
as Eskadrille 723 (Squadron 723).
History
The squadron was originally a flightFlight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
in the air force eskadrille 722 (722nd Squadron) (722) when the first Alouette III helicopter was received in 1962. In 1977 the flight was made into a unit of its own and moved to the navy, under the name Søværnets Flyvetjeneste (The Naval Air Service).
In 1980-1982 the eight Alouette helicopters was replaced with the new Westland Lynx helicopters.
In 2000 it was decided that Søværnets Flyvetjeneste should turn over to the air force as a squadron (728th Squadron) and put under operational command of the air force command along with the Army Air Corps, but for political reason only the army units where transferred to the air force (as 724th Squadron
Eskadrille 724
Eskadrille 724 is a Danish Air Force helicopter squadron, housed at Karup Air Base in central Jutland.It was official erected August 7, 2003, when the Danish Army's Hærens Flyvetjeneste was disbanded and transformed into Eskadrille 724. The name "Hærens Flyvetjeneste" was used onto August 2005.The...
). At the same time, the units where also to move physically from Værløse Air Station to Karup Air Station. The total number of helicopters in the air force would have been 8 Sikorsky S-61A
Sikorsky S-61
The Sikorsky S-61L and S-61N are civil variants of the successful SH-3 Sea King helicopter. They are two of the most widely used airliner and oil rig support helicopters built.-Design and development:...
, 13 Eurocopter AS550C2 Fennec
Eurocopter Fennec
|-See also:-References:* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.-External links:* * *...
, 16 Hughes H-500C Cayuse
Hughes H-6
The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter with a four-bladed main rotor used for personnel transport, escort and attack missions, and observation...
and 8 Westland Lynx Mk.90B
Westland Lynx
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants...
as well as 14 AugustaWestland EH-101 Merlin
AgustaWestland EH101
The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter for military applications but also marketed for civil use. The helicopter was developed as a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the UK and Agusta in Italy...
under purchase. A grand total of 59 helicopters. International obligations didn't allow for the Danish air force to possess so many helicopters. Because of that the Naval Air Service was transformed into the Naval Air Squadron on 1 January 2004.
A Danish navy helicopter foiled a pirate attack off Somali coast, August 28, 2010.
Historical equipment
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Number
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Sud Aviation Alouette III || || 1962–1982
|| SE3160 || 8 ||
|-----
| Westland Lynx
Westland Lynx
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants...
|| || 1987–2006 || Mk.23 || 1 || Only used for training.
|-----
| Westland Lynx
Westland Lynx
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants...
|| || 1980–2004 || Mk.80 || 8 ||
|-----
| Westland Lynx
Westland Lynx
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants...
|| || 1987–2003 || Mk.90 || 2 ||
Organisation
Order of Battle on the day of disbanding the unit (2010-12-31):! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Westland Super Lynx || || transport/rescue helicopter || Mk.90B || 8 ||
Bases
Vaerlose (ICAO code: EKVL)Vaerlose is located northwest of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, only about 20 km from the city centre. It was originally constructed as an army camp in 1910 and rebuild as a military airfield in the 1930s. After WW2 RDanAF operations were resumed, principally with transport aircraft. It became the main base of the Naval Air Service in 1962. On 1 April 2004 the airfield was closed as a military base, due to military budget cuts, and handed over to civilian use in October 2008.
Runway data: Location: N55° 46' 3" E012° 20' 36", Elev: 58 ft (18 m), Rwy 28/10, Size: 8061 x 150 ft (2457 x 46 m).
Karup
Karup Airport
Karup Airport is an airport in Denmark.At the request of some middle-and West Jutland politicians airport, it was opened on 1 November 1965 when the first direct connection between Karup and Copenhagen was opened....
(ICAO: EKKA)
Karup is located between Herning
Herning
Herning Municipality is a municipality in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in western Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 1,336 km² and a total population of 84,208...
and Viborg
Viborg, Denmark
Viborg , a town in central Jutland, Denmark, is the seat of both Viborg municipality and Region Midtjylland. Viborg is also the seat of the Western High Court, the High Court for the Jutland peninsula...
in central Denmark. It is dual civil-military airport. It was originally build by the Germans in WW2 as Fliegerhorst Grove, and taken over by the RDAF postwar. Since 2004 it has been the main helicopter base for the Danish Defence.
Runway data: Location: N56° 17' 50.85" E009° 07' 28.66", Elev: 170 ft (52 m), Rwy 04/22, Size: 2936 x 50 ft (895 x 15 m), Rwy 09/27, Size: 2789 x 197 ft (850 x 60 m), Rwy 09R/27L, Size: 9607 x 150 ft (2928 x 46 m), Rwy 09L/27R, Size: 9816 x 75 ft (2992 x 23 m), Rwy 14/32, Size: 2296 x 60 ft (700 x 18 m).