The Armed Forces Technical School, FMTS, is located in Halmstad and is the Swedish Armed Forces’ main centre for technical training and the development of technical services. The school trains officers, officer candidates, national service personnel and civilians.
FMTS is responsible for all technical training in all branches of the Swedish Armed Forces. The school’s area of responsibility also covers technical training that takes place in other units, schools and centres. The school also has functional responsibility for technical services within the Armed Forces. This in turn means keeping abreast of developments in technology, predicting future needs and suggesting improvements.
The school offers courses covering a wide variety of areas. The courses generally take place at FMTS in Halmstad, but some courses may also be run at one of the Armed Forces’ workshop establishments or at a particular service unit. Course length can vary widely, from a couple of days to as much as a year.
Training coverage
The training courses run by FMTS cover both theoretical and practical aspects. The subjects range from welding, soldering and electrical theory to computer communications, hydraulics, avionics, control systems technology and all types of engines from piston engines to modern aircraft jet engines. The school provides training on the vehicles and weapons systems in use by the Swedish Army, Navy and Air Force including tracked combat vehicles, wheeled vehicles, construction machinery, artillery and air defence systems etc.
FMTS trains aircraft technicians for the JAS 39 Gripen and is now preparing courses covering the Swedish Armed Forces’ new helicopter systems, Helicopters 14 and 15. Courses also cover different equipment systems in the fields of telecommunications, data communication, radar, IT systems, power supplies and electronic security – areas in which technology in the Swedish Armed Forces is moving ahead rapidly.
Specialist officer training
Within the framework of the Swedish Armed Forces’ new training system, specialist officers are given professional technical training. This scheme has been introduced to ensure that the Armed Forces’ need for competent specialists in different areas can be met. In the technical branches, therefore, it is FMTS that is responsible for specialist officer training. The extent of this training varies depending on the particular specialisation but the duration of the training will be at least one year.
National service training
FMTS has a special workshop repair platoon. Its national service personnel receive the whole of their training with the unit. The school also takes national service personnel from other units for parts of their technical training. This may sometimes be technical training relating to a particular system used in their own branch of the services.
Preparation for international service
FMTS has an important role to play in the technical training given prior to service on a mission abroad. This is because the materiel in question is generally subjected to harder use during a mission abroad than would be the case in normal day-to-day use by a unit in Sweden. Furthermore, the availability of replacement equipment, spare parts and workshop resources is likely to be more limited abroad than at home. The technical officer has an vital function to fulfil when serving on a mission abroad.
International missions
As the establishment responsible for technical services in the Swedish Armed Forces, FMTS maintains a range of international contacts for the exchange of information and experience, technical development and training.
The school has an important role to play in supporting the defence industry through the provision of technical training on equipment and systems for export. FMTS runs training courses for aircraft technicians for those countries that have purchased or leased the JAS 39 Gripen – in 2008 it was Hungary, the Czech Republic and South Africa. With the future in view, training is being planned for Thailand and other countries that have shown an interest in JAS 39 Gripen.
The language for JAS 39 Gripen training is English, which means that our instructors at FMTS have to be bilingual.
Students from Holland and Denmark attend air traffic control courses at FMTS. Another example of international training is the course run for Danish officers on the main battle tank Strv 122 (modified Leopard 2).