Sjöbo Björka

55°38'53"N 013°37'39"E

Runway: 13/31 - 2000x35meters/...feet - concrete/asphalt (CLOSED)

Air field Sjöbo/Björka (Swedish: Flygbas Sjöbo/Björka, also known as F1. Sjöbo/Björka or Fält 1 Sjöbo/Björka, ICAO: ESFJ) was an airbase in the south of Sweden, 66 kilometers east of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The airfield was built by the Swedish Armed Forces from 1939 when the security situation in Europe was rapidly becoming worse. It was constructed as a 1,000x1000meter flying field between September 1939 and July 1940.


Unfortunately no photos of the airfield while in use have been located

In 1956 the airbase was upgraded for the BAS-60 system, when it received a 2,000meter runway. On the west side it received a QRA area with shelters, and south of the runway a taxitrack was constructed. At the time the airbase operated the J29 Tunnan.
Its QRA area was different from most fields, in that is had 3 different QRA (Swedish: FRAMON) area designs combined: the 'flower', the 'pretzel' and the curved platforms known as 'PUF'.  On the east side it only received two PUF platforms, and an exit to an off base reserve (highway) airstrip/dispersal.

The last exercise at the base was held in 1994, and all flying ended in 1998. The airfield remained in the Air Forces organisation until 2001, after which it was converted into a military exercise area. For this purpose some structures were built on the center section of the runway for urban combat training. Most of the taxiways, parkings and shelters are still in place though.


Fält 1 Sjöbo/Björka in the summer of 2002, one year after the Swedish Air Force had permanently left the facility (Google Earth)


Fält 1 Sjöbo/Björka in 2009, clearly visible is the urban warfare center built on the runway (Google Earth)