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In 1944 the Swedish Parliament decided that a seventh Air Force base was going to be constructed south of Stockholm (the Swedish capital). A small place 10 Nm south-west of central Stockholm was choosen as the location for the new base. The air base was named F-18 Tullinge and it was an active Swedish Air Force base for fighter airplanes in almost 50 years. On July 1st 1994 the base was officialy closed. Since then the airport has been used for civilian purposes, mainly by sky diving clubs and privat airplane owners. The Swedish military still used the base for various non-aircraft-purposes for some years, but not in a large scale. Over the years the Swedish police came to use the old buildings more and more. Dog units of the police have been based at F-18 for many years now.
In 1998 the helicopter unit of the Swedish National Police moved to the old reconnaissance hangar at F-18 Tullinge, originally used for SK-60's (Saab 105). The Stockholm fleet of one Bell 47 and two Long Rangers were moved from the previous base at Barkaby Airfield (ESKG), north of Stockholm, to Tullinge Airport (ESCN). The "new" police hangar togther with an office building at Tullinge Airport was heavilly refreshed and modified to serve the Swedish police for many years to come.
In 2001 the first delivered EC135 of the Swedish police arrived to the base. Later the same year the Bell 47 was retired from service and moved to the Police Technology Museum in Sörentorp, Stockholm. Since one Long Ranger was lost in a wire strike in February 2001 the helicopter fleet of the Stockholm base was now one EC135, one Bell 206B and one Bell 206L.
The night between February 6 and 7, 2002
On the evening of February 6 one Eurocopter EC135P2 (SE-HPR), two Jet Rangers (SE-HIM & -HPH) and one Cessna 172 (SE-KEF) was parked for the night, inside the hangar.
At approx 02:00 am a fire broke out in the building. At 02:11 the police command central received an emergency signal from an burglary alarm in the hangar. They sent out a squad car to the hangar, which immediately called for reinforcement as fast as they saw the fire. By then the hangar was all in flames. When the firefighters arrived to the scene (at ~02:30) it was too late to save the helicopters, as well as the building. The firefighter struggelled with the large fire for several hours. At 05:35 it was finally extinguished. When the last flames became smoke and ash the damage was visible. The whole base was basically destroyed. A few pieces of metal were the only objects that indicated that the hangar had been filled with aircraft the night before.
The morning thereafter the cause of the fire was still unknown.
Since the contract for the building was to be under notice from year 2004 the Swedish National Police decided not to restore the hangar at Tullinge Airport. The base for police helicopter activities in Stockholm was moved to Patria Ostermans Aero at Arlanda Airport (ESSA) at once, in order for the Swedish National Police to find a new location for a new base.
TULLINGE AIRPORT - ESCN
Constructed: 1945-50
Location 10 Nm SW of Sthlm
Rwys: 15/33 & 06/24
Police heliport: located N of rwy 06/24, E of the closed section of rwy 15/33
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SWEDISH NATIONAL POLICE
Founded: 1963
Helicopter types B.206B (1),
Bell 206L1 (3), EC 135P2 (2)
Locations: Boden, Öster-sund, Stockholm, Gothenburg & Malmö (Öresund)
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