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ARMED FORCES

Royal wedding brings military to attention

The Swedish Armed Forces are beginning preparations for next year's royal nuptials and anticipate sending 3,000 soldiers to stand guard when Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria marries Daniel Westling in June.

Published: 17 October 2009 10:04 CEST

The Life Guards regiment, with barracks based in Stockholm, have been given the job of coordinating military presence in the capital and overseeing the number of soldiers that will line the city streets.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Beck-Friis Häll told the Blekinge Läns Tidning newspaper there is no shortage of interest to take part in the event.

”When the king and queen married in 1976 the cortège procession was flanked by 2,300 soldiers,” he said.

“We expect to have at least as many this time.”

Marine units will provide the majority of personnel and the 1st Marine Regiment in Stockholm are considering sending as many as 600 soldiers from the Victoria battalion alone.

The royal wedding takes place on June 19 at Storkyrkan in Stockholm’s Old Town.

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DEFENCE

Danish air force buys electric planes to cut emissions

The Danish air force will acquire two light electric planes, the defence ministry announced Thursday in what it said was a world first for a military force and part of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Published: 4 June 2021 13:34 CEST
Danish air force buys electric planes to cut emissions
The Velis Electro is the only electric aircraft that has been certified or authorised to fly by the EU's Aviation Safety Agency. Photo: Pipistrel

The two Velis Electro propeller-driven planes made by the Slovenian company Pipistrel will supplement existing training aircraft.

“Everyone has a responsibility to contribute to climate chang, and this also applies to ​​defence,” Denmark’s defence minister, Trine Bramsen, said in a statement. “That is why we have decided to procure electric aircraft for our air force. The electric planes will be used for training, among other things. The experience will be important for future equipment acquisitions in the field of defence.”

The potential for electric aircraft will now be evaluated over a two-year period. 

The Velis Electro is the only electric aircraft that has been certified or authorised to fly by the EU’s Aviation Safety Agency, EASA.

The Danish defence ministry announced in May a plan to reduce its emissions, but that has so far consisted largely of equipping buildings and ships with LED light bulbs and encouraging biodiversity on military bases.

The two electric aircraft will similarly only make a symbolic dent in the 42 million litres of fuel the Danish military consumes each year, emitting some 90,000 tonnes of CO2.

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