On Jun. 29, 1987, during a “Baltic Express” reconnaissance mission, an SR-71 piloted by retired Lt. Cols. Duane Noll and Tom Veltri, experienced an engine failure. They were intercepted by two different pairs of Swedish Air Force Viggens…
Four pilots from the Swedish Air Force were awarded U.S. Air Medals at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 28, 2018, in recognition of their actions from over 31 years earlier.
According to Captain Korey Fratini of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Public Affairs, in the article “Swedish pilots presented with U.S. Air Medal,” the details of their mission remained classified until the previous year.
The 1980s marked a period when Cold War tensions were still strongly felt, and the U.S. was conducting regular SR-71 aircraft reconnaissance missions called “Baltic Express” in international waters over the Baltic Sea. On June 29, 1987, during one such mission, an SR-71 piloted by retired Lt. Col. Duane Noll and Tom Veltri encountered an in-flight emergency.
After experiencing an engine failure, they guided the aircraft down to approximately twenty-five thousand feet over Swedish airspace, where two separate pairs of Swedish Air Force Viggens intercepted them.
“We were performing an ordinary peacetime operation exercise,” recalled retired Maj. Roger Moller, Swedish Air Force Viggen pilot. “Our fighter controller then asked me, ‘Are you able to make an interception and identification of a certain interest?’ I thought immediately it must be an SR-71; otherwise, he would have mentioned it. But at that time, I didn’t know it was the Blackbird.”
According to the Air Medal citation, once the Swedish pilots intercepted the SR-71, they assessed the emergency situation and decided to render support to the aircraft by defending it from any potential third-party aircraft that might have tried to threaten it. The pilots then accompanied the aircraft beyond the territorial boundaries and ensured that it was safely recovered.
“I can’t say enough about these gentlemen,” said Veltri, who was at the ceremony. “I am so amazingly grateful for what they did, but also for the opportunity to recognize them in the fashion we are doing. What these guys did is truly monumental.”
Noll, who was not able to be at the ceremony, recorded a message which was played to those in attendance.
“Your obvious skills and judgment were definitely demonstrated on that faithful day many years ago. I want to thank you for your actions on that day,” said Noll. “We will never know what would or could have happened, but because of you, there was no international incident. The U.S. Air Force did not lose an irreplaceable aircraft, and two crew members’ lives were saved. Lt. Col. Veltri and I can’t thank you sufficiently for what you prevented. Thank you for being highly skilled and dedicated patriotic fellow aviators.”
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. John Williams, Mobilization Assistant to the commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, presented the Air Medals to Swedish Air Force Col. Lars-Eric Blad, Majs. Roger Moller and Krister Sjoberg and Lt. Bo Ignell.
“That day in 1987 showed us that we can always count on our Swedish partners in times of great peril,” said Williams. “Even when there was both political risk and great physical risk in the form of actual danger, there was no hesitation on your part to preserve the pilots on that day.”
The presentation of Air Medals to the Swedish pilots represented the gratitude from the U.S. and the continued longstanding partnership with Sweden.
Photo by U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Kelly O’Connor
