SK16 HARVARD

The North American T-6 Texan, also known as the T-6 Texan and AT-16 Harvard, was an American trainer aircraft developed by North American Aviation. In the Swedish Armed Forces the aircraft was designated SK 16. Read more on Wikipedia.

The aircraft type

The Sk 16 is the Swedish Air Force designation for the American North American T-6 Texan trainer. It is a low-wing, single-engine aircraft with a crew of two in tandem, powered by a radial engine, a 600 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1. The type’s ancestor, the NA-16 prototype, first flew on 1 April 1935, and 15,495 aircraft of all variants were built in total. Outside the USA the aircraft is best known as the Harvard.

In the Swedish Air Force

A total of 257 aircraft entered service in the Swedish Air Force between 1947 and 1953. The first Canadian-built Harvard IIb aircraft arrived in Sweden in 1947. In 1950 it was decided to buy more aircraft. The new aircraft were designated Sk 16B and Sk 16C, and the earlier aircraft were then redesignated Sk 16A. The Sk 16B and Sk 16C were in service from 1953 to 1958, while the Sk 16A remained in Air Force service until the last day of April 1972.

At SwAFHF

According to the association’s report on its flying activity in 2023 (up to 5 December), SE-FVU, a green Sk 16, flew about twice as much as in the previous year.