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ADDED 110312 | SÅTENÄS AIR FORCE BASE, SWEDEN | RETURN TO THE MAIN FUTURO HOUSE ARTICLE | RETURN HOME
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Friel Getegården 4, 530 30 Tun, Sweden [Approximate] | 58°27'21.75"N 12°45'7.20"E
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Featured Image Riksettan | Blog Post Dated 112310
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Google Maps | Satellite Imagery Date 123109
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Additional Images
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Notes, History & Resources
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The two screenshots below are from Google Maps and show two of the three Swedish Air Force Futuros; the top one is this one, the Såtenäs Air Force Base unit, and the second is the south tower at Stråtjära. The images are remarkably similar and indicate that despite being far apart the structures, including the height of the towers, seems very much alike.
To date I have been unable to locate any additional images of this Futuro. If you have, or know of any, please let me know. Thanks |
The book Futuro - Tomorrow's House From Yesterday
 tells us that between the years 1969 and 1971 the Swedish Air Force purchased three Futuro's which were to serve as observation towers at a practice firing range north of Gävle, Sweden. The Futuro's were pre-assembled and then lifted onto concrete pillars rising above the trees in the area.
These Futuro's were modified to enhance fire safety and improve the exit. The book quotes Peter Stude, the project supervisor: "Back then, the Swedish Air Force enjoyed a generous budget, and no expense was spared on comforts like heating and air conditioning. Before the Futuro's were installed, the lookout tower consisted of a crude two-by-two meter open platform." I already knew that two of these Futuro's were located at Stråtjära but until today I had no idea where the third was. I had spent a great deal of time searching in Google Earth around Stråtjära assuming all three were located close together. Thanks to an email I received today from Patrik Eriksson I now know that this is not the case. The third Swedish Air Force Futuro is in fact located at Såtenäs Air Force Base some 500 or so kilometers away. Interestingly if you zoom in on the location using Google Maps the object actually looks slightly angular rather than round though the shadow appears less angular and very similar [indicating that the tower is the likely the same height] to one of the Stråtjära examples - check out the screenshots from Google Maps at left. Despite the angular appearance in Google Maps I have no doubt that this is indeed the third Swedish Air Force Futuro and that the appearance in Google Maps is just a function of the satellite imagery. In an article on the website Riksettan we hear that Martin Johansson from Trollhättan [which is pretty close to the location] reports the Futuro on site and Patrik who told me about this Futuro also lives quite close by. The Riksettan article was published 112310 and presumably the Futuro was on site as at that date; I can only assume it is still there since the satellite imagery in Google Earth/Maps is from an earlier date. So far, though admittedly after only a quick search, I can find nothing to indicate if the three Futuros were originally at the one location and one was subsequently moved or if this Futuro was always at this location. Google Maps cannot help as satellite imagery does not go back far enough; all we can establish from Google Earth is that this unit was on site as early as 092204. If you have any additional information about this unit please let me know. Sources & Reference
Got new, updated or corrected information or an image I could use?
I am always looking for additional information, history, details, images, videos; just about anything Futuro I guess - if you would like to contribute please use the Futuro Contact Form at the bottom of the main article or email me. As far as images go I am particularly interested in those that are either significantly better than the ones already on this page or show a different aspect or detail. If you own an image meeting one or both of those criteria I would love to be able to use it on this page but I will simply provide a link if that is your preference. Where permission is granted to use an image on the page appropriate attribution will be provided by means of a link to the original image, a link to a website of your choosing or both. |
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