Torbjörn Hultman

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Rear Admiral Torbjörn Åke Hultman (born 7 May 1937) is a retired Swedish Navy officer.

Hultman graduated from the Royal Swedish Naval Academy in 1958 and began his career on destroyers and torpedo boats in the Coastal Fleet, serving there until 1964. He then moved into education and technical training, eventually leading the countermeasure office in the Naval Staff’s Signal Intelligence Department. There he helped develop a strip countermeasure system (TTEM/MAS) with the Swedish Defence Research Institute.

In the 1970s he moved to the Artillery and Missile Bureau at the Main Department for Naval Materiel (FMV-M), where he led the fire control section and oversaw the development of the ARTE 722 fire control system for the Spica II-class (later the Norrköping class) missile boats. He also became head of the Missile Section, managing the navy’s anti-ship missile procurement. In 1978–79 he led the Harpoon missile project, and after Sweden’s decision to pursue a joint Swedish defense industry solution, he became the project manager for the Saab RBS 15 program; the contract for the RBS 15M was signed in 1979 and he continued as project manager until 1981.

In 1981 he was appointed captain and chief engineer at FMV-M, and later held several senior planning and technical positions. In 1984 he became head of the Underwater Weapons Department at FMV, a period that coincided with major Swedish submarine activity and a push to improve submarine protection, including new hydrophones and underwater systems.

Hultman was promoted to rear admiral in 1988 and became head of the Main Department for Naval Materiel (which was renamed Marinmaterielledningen, MML, in 1993), serving from 1989 to 1996. He then led the Navy Materiel Division from 1996 to 1997 and retired in 1997.

In 1998 he was awarded the Singapore Defence Technology Distinguished Fellowship for sharing Sweden’s naval technology know-how with Singapore, and he continued to provide consultancy on naval technology.

Personal life: He married Renate Romana Oettelt in 1961. They have a daughter (born 1964) and a son (born 1968).