The Saab 37 Viggen (
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
for ''"the
Bolt"'' or ''"the
Tufted Duck
The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...
"'' (
see name))
is a retired Swedish single-seat, single-engine, short-medium range combat aircraft. Development work on the type was initiated at
Saab
Saab or SAAB may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB
** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB
* Saab Automobile, a fo ...
in 1952 and, following the selection of a radical
delta wing
A delta wing is a wing shaped in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta (Δ).
Although long studied, it did not find significant applications until the Jet Age, when it proved suitabl ...
configuration, the resulting aircraft performed its first flight on 8 February 1967 and entered service in 21 June 1971. It was the first
canard design produced in quantity.
[Fredriksen 2001, p. 279.] The Viggen was also the most advanced fighter jet in Europe, albeit slower than the earlier MiG-21bis, until the introduction of the
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS (inter ...
into operational service in 1981.
Several distinct variants of the Viggen were produced to perform the roles of
strike fighter
In current military parlance, a strike fighter is a multirole combat aircraft designed to operate both as an attack aircraft and as an air superiority fighter. As a category, it is distinct from fighter-bombers. It is closely related to the c ...
(AJ 37),
aerial reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...
(SF 37),
maritime patrol aircraft
A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over water in maritime patrol roles ...
(SH 37) and a
two-seat trainer (Sk 37). In the late 1970s, the all-weather
fighter-
interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are cap ...
JA 37 variant was introduced. In November 2005, the Viggen was retired from service by the
Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.
History
The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...
, the only operator, having been replaced by the newer
Saab JAS 39 Gripen
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (; English: ''griffin'') is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stabilit ...
.
Name
''Viggen'' has two major meanings in Swedish and the aircraft's name alludes to both.
The first meaning refers to ''åskvigg'', which is modernly translated to "thunderbolt". Traditionally however the word refers to "
thunderstones", prehistoric stone axes found in the ground during the
viking age
The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...
The Scandinavian people of this period thought that these axes had been sent down to earth by the lightning strikes of the god
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
when he hunted giants with his war hammer
Mjölnir
Mjölnir (from Old Norse Mjǫllnir) is the hammer of the thunder god Thor in Norse mythology, used both as a devastating weapon and as a divine instrument to provide blessings. The hammer is attested in numerous sources, including the 11th cent ...
. It was believed that these axes had magic powers such as lightning protection (since "lightning never strikes the same spot twice"). However with time the word has been transformed to the Swedish equivalent of the English "thunderbolt" and thus the name generally refers to this. However since the name ''Viggen'' is missing the "thunder"-
prefix
A prefix is an affix which is placed before the Word stem, stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy'' ...
''åsk'' and is in Swedish definitive form it should be translated as "the Bolt" when referring to this meaning.
The second meaning refers to ''vigg'', the Swedish word for the
tufted duck
The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...
. This is in reference to its
canard configuration as "canard" is French for duck.
Development
Origins
The Viggen was initially developed as an intended replacement for the
Saab 32 Lansen
The Saab 32 Lansen (English: Lance) is a two-seat, transonic military aircraft designed and manufactured by Saab AB from 1955 to 1960 for the Swedish Air Force (''Flygvapnet''). Three principal variants of the Lansen were built for attack (A 32A ...
in the attack role and later the
Saab 35 Draken
The Saab 35 Draken (; 'The Kite' or 'The Dragon') is a Swedish fighter-interceptor developed and manufactured by Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB) between 1955 and 1974. Development of the Saab 35 Draken started in 1948 as the Swedish air fo ...
as a fighter.
In 1955, as Saab's prototype Draken, the most aerodynamically advanced fighter in the world at that point, performed its first flight, the Swedish Air Force was already forming a series of requirements for the next generation of combat aircraft; due to the challenging nature of these requirements, a lengthy development time was anticipated, with the first flight intended to be no earlier than the middle of the next decade.
[Gunston and Gilchrist 1993, p. 243.][Field 1974, p. 707.] Between 1952 and 1957, the first studies towards what would become the Viggen were carried out, involving the Finnish aircraft designer
Aarne Lakomaa
Aarne Lakomaa (1914–2001) was a Finnish aircraft designer. Born in Finland, Lakomaa graduated from Helsinki Polytechnics. He fought as an Army Lieutenant in the Winter War (1939–40) and the Continuation War (1941–44) against the Soviet Unio ...
. Over 100 different concepts were examined in these studies, involving both single- and twin engine configurations, both traditional and
double delta
A delta wing is a wing shaped in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta (Δ).
Although long studied, it did not find significant applications until the Jet Age, when it proved suitab ...
wings, and
canard wings. Even
VTOL
A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-win ...
designs were considered, with separate lift engines, but were soon identified as being unacceptable.
From the onset, the Viggen was planned as an integrated weapon system, to be operated in conjunction with the newest revision of Sweden's national electronic air defense system,
STRIL
wedishTactical (Fighting Command) and Air Defence Control System ( sv, Stridsledning och luftbevakning, STRIL, , Combat control and air surveillance) in forms of STRIL 50 (operational in the 1950s) and STRIL 60 (operational in the 196 ...
-60. It was used as the nation's standard platform, capable of being efficiently adapted to perform all tactical mission roles.
Other requirements included
supersonic
Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
ability at low level,
Mach 2 performance at altitude, and the ability to make short landings at low angles of attack (to avoid damaging improvised runways). The aircraft was also designed from the beginning to be easy to repair and service, even for personnel without much training.
One radical requirement of the proposed aircraft was the ability for it to be operated from short runways only 500 meters long; this was part of the
Bas 60
Bas 60 (''Flygbassystem 60'', Air Base System 60) was an air base system developed and used by the Swedish Air Force during the Cold War. The system was based around defensive force dispersal of aircraft and its supporting ground operations across ...
air base system that had been introduced by the Swedish Air Force in the late 1950s. Bas 60 revolved around
force dispersal
Force dispersal is the practice of spreading out soldiers and vehicles in an army. It is used to minimize the effects of collateral damage, such as from bombs and artillery, and increases the number of artillery rounds needed to neutralize or dest ...
of aircraft across many wartime air bases, including
road runways acting as backup runways. Utilizing partially destroyed runways was another factor that motivated STOL capability. Bas 60 was developed into
Bas 90
Bas 90 (''Flygbassystem 90'', Air Base System 90) was an air base system used by the Swedish Air Force during the Cold War. Bas 90 was developed during the 1970s and 1980s from the existing Bas 60 system in response to the new threats and needs th ...
in the 1970s and 1980s, and included short runways only 800 meters in length. Enabling such operations imposed several critical demands upon the design, including a modest landing speed, no-flare touchdown, powerful post-landing deceleration, accurate steering even in crosswinds on icy surfaces, and high acceleration on take-off.
In 1960, the U.S.
National Security Council
A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...
, led by President
Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
, formulated a security guarantee for Sweden, promising U.S. military help in the event of a Soviet attack against Sweden; both countries signed a military-technology agreement. In what was known as the "
37-annex", Sweden was allowed access to advanced U.S.
aeronautical
Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies ...
technology that made it possible to design and produce the Viggen much faster and more cheaply than would otherwise have been possible.
[ ] According to research by
Nils Bruzelius at the
Swedish National Defence College
The Swedish Defence University ( sv, Försvarshögskolan, FHS) is situated on Drottning Kristinas väg 37 in Östermalm, Stockholm City Centre, next to the campus of the Royal Institute of Technology.
History
Today's Swedish Defence University ...
, the reason for this officially unexplained U.S. support was to protect U.S.
Polaris
Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...
submarines deployed just outside the Swedish east coast against the threat of Soviet anti-submarine aircraft.
However, Bruzelius' theory has been discredited by Simon Moores and Jerker Widén.
The connection also appears doubtful due to the time scale – the Viggen's strike version only became operational in 1971, and the fighter version in 1978, by which time Polaris had already been retired.
Project launch
In December 1961, the Swedish government gave its approval for the development of ''Aircraft System 37'', which would ultimately become the Viggen.
["1960s."](_blank)
''Company History'', Saab. Retrieved 6 March 2016. By 1962, all elements for the project either existed or were close to fully developed; these included the aircraft itself, the powerplant, ejector seat, armaments, reconnaissance systems, ground servicing equipment, and training equipment such as simulators.
In February 1962, approval of the overall configuration was given and was followed by a development contract in October 1962.
According to aviation authors
Bill Gunston
Bill Gunston (1 March 1927 – 1 June 2013) was a British aviation and military author. He flew with Britain's Royal Air Force from 1945 to 1948, and after pilot training became a flying instructor. He spent most of his adult life doing research ...
and Peter Gilchrist, the project was "by far the largest industrial development task ever attempted in Sweden". During the 1960s, the Viggen accounted for 10 per cent of all Swedish R&D funding.
In 1963, Saab finalized the aerodynamic design of the aircraft; the aerodynamic configuration was radical: it combined an aft-mounted double delta wing with a small, high-set canard foreplane, equipped with powered trailing
flaps mounted ahead of and slightly above the main wing; this would be judged to be the best means to satisfy the conflicting demands for STOL performance, supersonic speed, low turbulence sensitivity at low level flight, and efficient lift for subsonic flight.
[Gunston and Gilchrist 1993, p. 244.] Canard aircraft have since become common in fighter aircraft, notably with the
Eurofighter Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...
,
Dassault Rafale
The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide ran ...
, Saab JAS 39 Gripen and the
IAI Kfir
, abbreviated , is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.Christensen, Karen and Allen Guttmann et.al (2001) ''International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports ...
, but principally for the purposes of providing agility during flight rather than for its
STOL
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...
capabilities.
Further aerodynamic refinements during the later stage of development included the addition of
dog-tooth
In architecture, a dog-tooth or dogtooth pattern is an ornament found in the mouldings of medieval work of the commencement of the 12th century, which is thought to have been introduced by the Crusaders. The earliest example is found in the hal ...
patterns upon the main wing to generate
vortices
In fluid dynamics, a vortex ( : vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...
, allowing for the elimination of
blown flap
Blown flaps, or jet flaps, are powered aerodynamic high-lift devices used on the wings of certain aircraft to improve their low-speed flight characteristics. They use air blown through nozzles to shape the airflow over the rear edge of the wing, d ...
s from the canard. The use of a
thrust reverser
Thrust reversal, also called reverse thrust, is the temporary diversion of an aircraft engine's thrust for it to act against the forward travel of the aircraft, providing deceleration. Thrust reverser systems are featured on many jet aircraft ...
enabled the sought short landing performance.
![AJ37 Viggen Aircraft](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/AJ37_Viggen_Aircraft.jpg)
During development, Saab had opted to power the type using a single large
turbofan
The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...
engine. Originally, the British
Rolls-Royce Medway
The Rolls-Royce RB.141 Medway was a large low-bypass turbofan engine designed, manufactured and tested in prototype form by Rolls-Royce in the early-1960s. The project was cancelled due to changes in market requirements that also led to the dev ...
engine had been selected to power the Viggen, which was then considered to be ideal for the basis for a supersonic engine equipped with a fully modulated
afterburner
An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and comba ...
; however, development of the Medway engine was cancelled due to the intended launch aircraft, the
de Havilland Trident, being downsized during development.
In place of the Medway, Saab chose to adopt a licence-production version of the American
Pratt & Whitney JT8D
The Pratt & Whitney JT8D is a low-bypass (0.96 to 1) turbofan engine introduced by Pratt & Whitney in February 1963 with the inaugural flight of the Boeing 727. It was a modification of the Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet engine which powered th ...
engine, the
Volvo RM8
The Volvo RM8 is a low-bypass afterburning turbofan jet engine developed for the Saab 37 Viggen fighter. An augmented bypass engine was required to give both better fuel consumption at cruise speeds and higher thrust boosting for its short take-o ...
, instead. The RM8 was heavily redesigned, using new materials to accommodate flight at Mach-2 speeds, a Swedish-built afterburner, and a fully variable nozzle.
During 1964, construction of the first
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
aircraft commenced; on 8 February 1967, the first of an eventual seven prototypes conducted its
maiden flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alwa ...
, which had occurred as per the established development schedule.
[Donald 1996, p. 366.] This first flight, which lasted for 43 minutes, was flown by Erik Dahlström, Saab's chief test pilot, who reported the prototype to have been easy to handle throughout. Writing at the time,
aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...
publication
Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
described the flight as having been "Sweden's astonishing unilateral stand in the front rank of advanced aircraft-building nations..."
["The Viggen Airborne."](_blank)
''Flight International'', 16 February 1967. p. 270.
Each of the seven prototypes were assigned different roles, although the initial aircraft were focused on supporting the development of the initial production variant, the AJ37.
In 1967, the Swedish Government concluded that the in-development AJ 37 Viggen would be both cheaper than and superior to the
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
.
In April 1968, the Swedish government formally issued the authorization for manufacturing of the Viggen to proceed, issuing an order for 175 Viggens that year.
[Ford 1973. p. 617.] Also in 1968, Saab began work on the Viggen's maritime reconnaissance and photo reconnaissance variants.
In May 1969, the Viggen made its first public appearance outside of Sweden at the
Paris Air Show
The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the French ...
. On 23 February 1971, the first production aircraft, an AJ37 model, conducted its first flight.
In July 1971, the first production aircraft was delivered to the Swedish Air Force.
["1970s."](_blank)
''Company history'', Saab. Retrieved 6 March 2016.[Eliasson 2010, p. 87.]
Further development
![Saab SF 37 Viggen 37951 F 13 Bråvalla 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Saab_SF_37_Viggen_37951_F_13_Br%C3%A5valla_001.jpg)
As the initial AJ 37 Viggen was being introduced to service, further variants of the Viggen proceeded to complete development and enter production.
[Wagner 2009, p. 125.] In 1972, the first SK 37, an operational trainer variant with a staggered second canopy for an instructor, was delivered to the Swedish Air Force.
[Ford 1973. p. 616.] On 21 May 1973, the first prototype of SF 37 Viggen, a tactical reconnaissance variant featuring a modified nose to accommodate seven sensors, conducted its first flight.
While other variants entered production during the 1960s, Saab continued the development of the more capable all-weather interceptor version of the aircraft, the JA 37. In 1970, Sweden's air defenses had been closely inspected and it was determined that the prospective JA 37 Viggen was highly suited to the role.
In 1972, the Swedish government authorized the development of the fighter-interceptor variant to proceed, which was followed by several major contracts for the JA 37's further development.
A total of five prototypes would be produced, four of which being modified AJ 37s and one being a sole pre-production JA 37 model, to test the control systems, engine, avionics, and armaments respectively.
In June 1974, the first of these prototypes conducted its maiden flight; later that year, an initial order for 30 JA 37s was issued by the Swedish government.
The JA 37 Viggen featured various changes from its predecessor, including revisions to the design of the airframe, the use of the more powerful RM8B powerplant, a new generation of electronics being adopted, and a revised armament configuration employed; the principle externally visible changes from most earlier variants were a taller tailfin and the underfuselage gunpack arrangement.
The JA 37, in addition to its principal aerial combat mission, also retained a secondary ground-attack capability, and was better suited to low-level operations.
In November 1977, the first production JA 37 Viggen conducted its maiden flight.
Operational trials for the new variant were conducted between January and December 1979, which resulted in the type being introduced to operational service that year.
[Chant 2014, p. 459.] According to
Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
, at the time of the JA 37's introduction, it was the most advanced European fighter then in service.
![Saab JA37C Viggen, Sweden - Air Force AN1117367](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Saab_JA37C_Viggen%2C_Sweden_-_Air_Force_AN1117367.jpg)
In April 1964, the Swedish government revealed its budget proposal for the Swedish Air Force, in which it had been envisioned that 800 or more Viggens would be produced, which was in turn intended to allow all other combat aircraft then in service with the Swedish Air Force to be replaced with this single type. However, a combination of
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
and other factors eventually reduced the total number of aircraft manufactured to 329.
By 1980, up to 149 JA 37 Viggens were projected to be built, and the line to be closed within the decade as the Swedish aerospace industry changed focus to the impending Saab JAS 39 Gripen, the Viggen's eventual replacement.
Over time, advances in computing, such as the
microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...
, had enabled greater flexibility than the physical configuration of the Viggen, so further development of the Viggen platform was not viewed as cost-effective. In 1990, production of the Viggen ceased and the final aircraft was delivered.
[Eliasson 2010, p. 82.]
In May 1991, a
SEK 300-million program to upgrade 11 AJ37, SF37 and SH37 Viggens to a common multirole variant, designated AJS37, was announced. Amongst the changes involved, interchangeable armaments and sensor payloads were implemented in addition to the adoption of new mission planning and threat analysis computer systems. The onboard ECM systems were also improved.
Specifically, the implementation of a new stores management system and
MIL-STD-1553
MIL-STD-1553 is a military standard published by the United States Department of Defense that defines the mechanical, electrical, and functional characteristics of a serial data bus. It was originally designed as an avionic data bus for use with ...
serial data bus
In computer architecture, a bus (shortened form of the Latin '' omnibus'', and historically also called data highway or databus) is a communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers. This ex ...
, similar to that used on the newer JAS 39 Gripen, allowed for the integration of the
AIM-120 AMRAAM
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced ), is an American beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. It is 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter, and employs ...
air-to-air missile; an upgraded Ericsson PS-46A radar was installed, and a new tactical radio. On 4 June 1996, the first upgraded prototype JA37 Viggen performed its first flight.
In 1996, according to Swedish air force material-department chief General Steffan Nasstrom, the various upgrades performed to the Viggen since its introduction had "doubled the effectiveness of the overall system".
[Jeziorski, Andrzej]
"Saab flies upgraded Viggen fighter."
''Flight International'', 19 June 1996.
Design
Propulsion
![Viggen cockpit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Viggen_cockpit.jpg)
The Viggen was powered by a single
Volvo RM8
The Volvo RM8 is a low-bypass afterburning turbofan jet engine developed for the Saab 37 Viggen fighter. An augmented bypass engine was required to give both better fuel consumption at cruise speeds and higher thrust boosting for its short take-o ...
turbofan. This was essentially a heavily modified
licence-built Licensed production is the production under license of technology developed elsewhere. The licensee provides the licensor of a specific product with legal production rights, technical information, process technology, and any other proprietary compo ...
variant of the
Pratt & Whitney JT8D
The Pratt & Whitney JT8D is a low-bypass (0.96 to 1) turbofan engine introduced by Pratt & Whitney in February 1963 with the inaugural flight of the Boeing 727. It was a modification of the Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet engine which powered th ...
engine that powered commercial airliners of the 1960s, with an afterburner added for the Viggen. The airframe also incorporated a thrust reverser to use during landings and land manoeuvres, which, combined with the aircraft having flight capabilities approaching a limited STOL-like performance, enabled operations from 500 m airstrips with minimal support.
The thrust reverser could be pre-selected in the air to engage when the nose-wheel strut was compressed after touchdown via a
pneumatic
Pneumatics (from Greek ‘wind, breath’) is a branch of engineering that makes use of gas or pressurized air.
Pneumatic systems used in Industrial sector, industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A central ...
trigger.
[Warwick 1980, p. 1261.]
The requirements from the Swedish Air Force dictated Mach 2 capability at high altitude and Mach 1 at low altitude. At the same time, short-field take-off and landing performance was also required. Since the Viggen was developed initially as an attack aircraft instead of an interceptor (the
Saab 35 Draken
The Saab 35 Draken (; 'The Kite' or 'The Dragon') is a Swedish fighter-interceptor developed and manufactured by Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB) between 1955 and 1974. Development of the Saab 35 Draken started in 1948 as the Swedish air fo ...
fulfilled this role), some emphasis was given to low fuel consumption at high subsonic speeds at low level for good range. With turbofan engines just emerging and indicating better fuel economy for cruise than
turbojet
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
engines, the former was favoured, since the latter were mainly limited by metallurgy development resulting from limitations in
turbine temperature. Mechanical simplicity was also favoured, so the air intakes were simple D-section types with boundary layer
splitter plates, while the fixed inlet had no
adjustable geometry for improved pressure recovery. The disadvantage was that the required engine would be very large.
In fact, at the time of introduction, it was the second largest fighter engine, with a length of 6.1 m and 1.35 m diameter; only the
Tumansky R-15
The Tumansky R-15 is an axial flow, single shaft turbojet with an afterburner. Its best known use is on the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25.
Design and development
The R-15-300 was designed at the OKB-300 design bureau led by Sergei Tumansky in the lat ...
was bigger.
![Goteborg Volvo Museum 09 RM8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Goteborg_Volvo_Museum_09_RM8.jpg)
Saab had originally wanted the
Rolls-Royce Medway
The Rolls-Royce RB.141 Medway was a large low-bypass turbofan engine designed, manufactured and tested in prototype form by Rolls-Royce in the early-1960s. The project was cancelled due to changes in market requirements that also led to the dev ...
as the Viggen's powerplant.
Owing to the cancellation of the Medway, the JT8D was instead chosen as the basis for modification. The RM8 became the second operational afterburning turbofan in the world, and also the first equipped with a thrust reverser. According to aviation author Christopher Chant, the RM8 has the distinction of being the first engine to be fitted with both an afterburner and a thrust reverser.
[Chant 2014, p. 458.] It had a bypass ratio of around 1.07:1 in the RM8A, which reduced to 0.97:1 in the RM8B.
[Nativi 1993] The RM8A was the most powerful fighter engine in the late 1960s.
The AJ, SF, SH and SK 37 models of the Viggen had the first version of the RM8A engine with uprated internal components from the JT8D that it was based on. Thrust was 65.6 kN dry and 115.6 kN with afterburner.
For the JA 37, the RM8A was developed into the RM8B, achieved by adding a third low-pressure compressor stage over the preceding model, increasing the turbine inlet temperature and fuel diffusion within the combustion chamber.
[Warwick 1980, p. 1264.] Thrust is 72.1 kN dry and 125.0 kN with afterburner.
[Taylor 1988, p. 702.] Owing to the increased length and weight of the RM8B engine over its predecessor, the airframe of the JA 37 was stretched in order to accommodate it.
Onboard electrical power was provided by a 60
kVA generator. In the event of an in-flight engine failure, emergency power was provided by an automatically deploying
ram air turbine
A ram air turbine (RAT) is a small wind turbine that is connected to a hydraulic pump, or electrical generator, installed in an aircraft and used as a power source. The RAT generates power from the airstream by ram pressure due to the speed o ...
(RAT), capable of generating 6 kVA.
Avionics
![LA2-Datasaab-CK37-full](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/LA2-Datasaab-CK37-full.jpg)
In the early 1960s, it was decided that the Viggen should be a single seat aircraft, Saab having recognized that advanced avionics such as a
digital central computer and a
head-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
could perform the workload of a human navigator and entirely replace the need for a second crew member.
A use of a digital computer would reduce or entirely replace
analogue systems, which had proven to be expensive to maintain and alter, as had been the case of the earlier Draken, in addition to accuracy issues.
The computer, called CK 37 (central calculator 37), was the world's first airborne computer to use
integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny ...
s. Developed by Saab, the CK 37 was the integrating unit for all electronic equipment to support the pilot, performing functions such as navigation, flight control, and weapon-aiming calculations.
In practice, the CK 37 proved to be more reliable than predicted.
On later variants of the Viggen, from the JA37 onwards, it was decided to adopt a newer and more powerful computer, the American CD107, which was license-manufactured and further developed by Saab.
The computing techniques and concepts, such as
distributed computing
A distributed system is a system whose components are located on different computer network, networked computers, which communicate and coordinate their actions by message passing, passing messages to one another from any system. Distributed com ...
, went beyond use of the Viggen, in addition to civil-orientated derivatives, it directly contributed to the computers used on board the Viggen's replacement, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen.
[Eliasson 2010, p. 38.] Various
electronic countermeasure
An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...
s (ECM) were installed upon the Viggen, these were typically provided by Satt Elektronik.
The ECM systems consisted of a Satt Elektronik
radar warning receiver
Radar warning receiver (RWR) systems detect the radio emissions of radar systems. Their primary purpose is to issue a warning when a radar signal that might be a threat is detected, like a fighter aircraft's fire control radar. The warning can th ...
system in the wings and the tail, an optional Ericsson Erijammer pod and
BOZ-100 chaff
Chaff (; ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material (such as scaly parts of flowers or finely chopped straw). Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it. In agri ...
/
flare
A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
pod.
Infrared warning receivers were also later installed. In total, the electronics weighed 600 kg, a substantial amount for a single-engine fighter of the era.
The aircraft's principal sensor was an
Ericsson
(lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informat ...
PS 37 X-band
monopulse radar
Monopulse radar is a radar system that uses additional encoding of the radio signal to provide accurate directional information. The name refers to its ability to extract range and direction from a single signal pulse.
Monopulse radar avoids prob ...
, which used a mechanically steered
parabolic reflector
A parabolic (or paraboloid or paraboloidal) reflector (or dish or mirror) is a reflective surface used to collect or project energy such as light, sound, or radio waves. Its shape is part of a circular paraboloid, that is, the surface generated ...
housed in a
radome
A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna (radio), antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weather and ...
.
This radar performed several functions, including air-to-ground and air-to-air
telemetry
Telemetry is the in situ data collection, collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic data transmission, transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Gr ...
,
search
Searching or search may refer to:
Computing technology
* Search algorithm, including keyword search
** :Search algorithms
* Search and optimization for problem solving in artificial intelligence
* Search engine technology, software for findi ...
,
track
Track or Tracks may refer to:
Routes or imprints
* Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity
* Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across
* Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
,
terrain-avoidance and
cartography
Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...
.
On the JA 37 fighter-interceptor model, the PS 37 radar was replaced by the more capable Ericsson PS 46 X-band
pulse repetition frequency
The pulse repetition frequency (PRF) is the number of pulses of a repeating signal in a specific time unit. The term is used within a number of technical disciplines, notably radar.
In radar, a radio signal of a particular carrier frequency is tu ...
, which had an all-weather
look-down/shoot-down A radar system has look-down/shoot-down capability if it can detect, track and guide a weapon to an air target that (as seen by the radar) is silhouetted against the ground.
Problem and naming
Airborne intercept radar relying exclusively on time ...
capability reportedly in excess of 50 kilometers and
continuous-wave
A continuous wave or continuous waveform (CW) is an electromagnetic wave of constant amplitude and frequency, typically a sine wave, that for mathematical analysis is considered to be of infinite duration. It may refer to e.g. a laser or particl ...
illumination for the
Skyflash
The Skyflash, or Sky Flash in marketing material, was a medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile derived from the US AIM-7 Sparrow missile and carried by Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms and Tornado F3s, Italian ...
missiles as well as the
ability to track two targets while scanning.
According to Ericsson, it had a 50 per cent chance of spotting a low-flying
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
within a single scan and possessed a high level of resistance to interference from ECM.
Saab and
Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
co-developed an automatic digital
flight control system
A conventional Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft flight control system consists of flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkages, and the necessary operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction ...
for the JA 37 Viggen, which has been claimed to be the first such system in a production aircraft.
To assist low altitude flight, a Honeywell
radar altimeter
A radar altimeter (RA), also called a radio altimeter (RALT), electronic altimeter, reflection altimeter, or low-range radio altimeter (LRRA), measures altitude above the terrain presently beneath an aircraft or spacecraft by timing how long it t ...
with transmitter and receiver in the canard wings was used.
The aircraft was also fitted with a Decca Type 72
Doppler navigation radar. TILS (Tactical
Instrument Landing System
In aviation, the instrument landing system (ILS) is a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to aircraft to allow them to approach a runway at night or in bad weather. In its original form, it allows an aircraft to ...
), a landing-aid system made by Cutler-Hammer AIL, improved landing accuracy to 30 m from the threshold on the short highway airbase system. In order to effectively enforce Sweden's air space, the Viggen was integrated with
STRIL 60 national defence system.
The JA 37 Viggen was also equipped with a
Garrett AiResearch
Garrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of turboprop engines and turbochargers, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Compa ...
digital
Central Air Data Computer
An air data computer (ADC) or central air data computer (CADC) computes altitude, vertical speed, air speed, and Mach number from pressure and temperature inputs. It is an essential avionics component found in modern aircraft. This computer, rath ...
, modified from the unit used upon the
Grumman F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...
.
Initially, only a single reconnaissance (S) variant was considered, but fitting cameras as well as a radar proved to be impossible. The SH 37 maritime strike and reconnaissance variant was very similar to the AJ 37 and differed mainly in a maritime-optimized PS 371/A radar with longer range, a cockpit air-data camera and tape recorder for mission analysis. "Red Baron" and a SKa 24D 600 mm LOROP camera pods were usually carried on the fuselage pylons.
The centreline fuel tank was converted for a short period of time to a camera pod with two Recon/Optical CA-200 1676 mm cameras. In addition to the reconnaissance equipment, the SH 37 could also use all weapons for the AJ 37. For the photographic SF version, the radar in the nose was omitted in favour of four SKa 24C 120 mm and two SKa 31 570 mm photographic cameras as well as one 57 mm VKa 702
Infrared linescan camera and air-data camera; all of which were integrated with and controlled by the aircraft's central computer.
Additional equipment, such as more camera pods, fuel tanks, ECM pods, and self-defense air-to-air missiles could also be carried upon the fuselage pylons.
The fighter-interceptor version of the Viggen, the JA 37, featured various avionics changes, including the extensive use of digital electronics alongside mechanical technology.
[Eliasson 2010, p. 115.] In 1985, the "fighter link" went into service, permitting encrypted data communication between four fighters; this enabled one fighter to "paint" an airborne enemy with guidance radar for the
Skyflash
The Skyflash, or Sky Flash in marketing material, was a medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile derived from the US AIM-7 Sparrow missile and carried by Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms and Tornado F3s, Italian ...
missiles of the three other fighters in a group while they had their search and guidance radar switched off. This system was operational ten years before any other country's. The autopilot was also slaved to the radar control to obtain better precision firing the cannon. Once in service, the Viggen's
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...
was regularly updated every 18 months.
[Eliasson 2010, p. 125.] In 1983, the
mean time between failures
Mean time between failures (MTBF) is the predicted elapsed time between inherent failures of a mechanical or electronic system during normal system operation. MTBF can be calculated as the arithmetic mean (average) time between failures of a system ...
(MTBF) was reported as 100 hours, a very high reliability level for the generation of avionics systems involved.
Cockpit
![Viggen 2008-03-01-35](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Viggen_2008-03-01-35.jpg)
The displays in the original cockpit were all of the traditional analogue/mechanical type with the exception of an electronic
head-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
(HUD), which Saab has claimed makes the Viggen easier to fly, especially at low altitudes during air-to-ground strike missions. Unusually for a 1970s fighter, the JA 37 variant of the Viggen featured three multi-purpose
cathode-ray tube
A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms (oscilloscope), pictur ...
(CRT) display screens were fitted within the cockpit, in a system called AP-12, developed by Saab and Ericsson.
These displays would be used to display processed radar information, computer-generated maps, flight and weapons data, along with steering cues during precision landings.
![Viggen skolversion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Viggen_skolversion.jpg)
Between 1989 and 1992, the AP-12 display system was subject to a substantial upgrade. In 1999, a new tactical
liquid-crystal display
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display
A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipmen ...
(LCD) system derived from the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, which replaced the CRT-based AP-12 system, began flight tests with the Swedish Air Force. On the twin-seat SK 37 trainer, the rear cockpit used by the instructor is only fitted with conventional instrumentation and lacks a HUD, computer controls and other features.
The ejection seat was the Raketstol 37 (literally; Rocket chair 37) and was the last Saab designed seat in service. A derivative of the
Saab 105
The Saab 105 is a Swedish high-wing, twinjet trainer aircraft developed in the early 1960s as a private venture by Saab AB. The Swedish Air Force, which had opted to procure the type for various roles, issued the aircraft with the designation ...
trainer seat, the seat was optimized for low altitude, high speed ejections.
Once activated by the pilot via triggers built into the armrests (on twin-seat models, the occupant of the forward cockpit position is able to initiate the ejection of both seats), the ejection sequence is automated, including the removal of the canopy; in the event of a malfunction, a reserve trigger can be activated.
A combined parachute and seat harness is used, which features a barometric interlock to appropriately release the occupant and harness from the seat during the ejection sequence, a manual override handle is also provided for this function.
There were dedicated warning caption panels each side of the pilot's legs. On the right console panel were numerous dedicated controls and indicators, including weapons and missile controls, nav panel, oxygen on/off, windshield de-fogging,
IFF
In logic and related fields such as mathematics and philosophy, "if and only if" (shortened as "iff") is a biconditional logical connective between statements, where either both statements are true or both are false.
The connective is bicon ...
control, lighting controls. Situated on the left console panel were radar controls, canopy handle, landing gear handle, radio controls and the cabin pressure indicator.
[Field 1974, p. 709.] As per then-standard practice within the Swedish Air Force, all cockpit instrumentation and labeling were in Swedish.
[Field 1974, p. 708.]
Wings and airframe
With the performance requirements to a large extent dictating the choice of the engine, the airframe turned out to be quite bulky compared to contemporary slimmer designs with turbojet engines. The first prototypes had a straight midsection
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
that was later improved with a "hump" on the dorsal spine for reduced drag according to the
area rule
The Whitcomb area rule, named after NACA engineer Richard Whitcomb and also called the transonic area rule, is a design procedure used to reduce an aircraft's drag at transonic speeds which occur between about Mach 0.75 and 1.2. For supersonic ...
.
The wing had the shape of a double delta with a dogtooth added to improve longitudinal stability at high incidence angles.
![JA 37D tail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/JA_37D_tail.jpg)
A consequence of a tailless delta design, such as in the Viggen, is that the elevons, which replace more conventional control surfaces, operate with a small effective
moment arm
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...
; their use adds substantial weight to the aircraft at takeoff and landing. Hinged leading edge surfaces can help counteract this, but an even more effective tool is the canard. The canard surfaces were positioned behind the inlets and placed slightly higher than the main wing, with a higher stall angle than the wing, and were equipped with flaps. The lifting canard surfaces act as a vortex generator for the main wing and therefore provide more lift. An added benefit was that they also improved roll stability in the transonic region. The canard flaps were deployed in conjunction with the landing gear to provide even more lift for takeoff and landing.
To withstand the stresses of no-flare landings, Saab made extensive use of
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
in the airframe of the Viggen, which was constructed using a bonded metal
honeycomb structure
Honeycomb structures are natural or man-made Structure, structures that have the geometry of a honeycomb to allow the minimization of the amount of used material to reach minimal weight and minimal Material costs, material cost. The geometry of ...
; the entire rear section of the fuselage, downstream of the engine nozzle, formed a heat-resistant ring composed of
titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...
.
The main landing gear, manufactured by Motala Verkstad, was highly strengthened as well; each leg held two small wheels fitted with
anti-skid brakes placed in a tandem arrangement. The design requirements imposed by the large anti-ship missiles employed upon the Viggen necessitated that both the undercarriage and
vertical stabilizer
A vertical stabilizer or tail fin is the static part of the vertical tail of an aircraft. The term is commonly applied to the assembly of both this fixed surface and one or more movable rudders hinged to it. Their role is to provide control, sta ...
be quite tall.
To accommodate this, and to allow the main landing gear to be stowed outside of the wing root, the undercarriage legs shortened during retraction.
[Gunston and Gilchrist 1993, p. 245.] The
vertical stabilizer
A vertical stabilizer or tail fin is the static part of the vertical tail of an aircraft. The term is commonly applied to the assembly of both this fixed surface and one or more movable rudders hinged to it. Their role is to provide control, sta ...
could also be folded via an
actuator
An actuator is a component of a machine that is responsible for moving and controlling a mechanism or system, for example by opening a valve. In simple terms, it is a "mover".
An actuator requires a control device (controlled by control signal) a ...
in order that the aircraft could be stored in smaller hangars,
hardened aircraft shelter
A hardened aircraft shelter (HAS) or protective aircraft shelter (PAS) is a reinforced hangar to house and protect military aircraft from enemy attack. Cost considerations and building practicalities limit their use to fighter size aircraft.
...
s, and
underground hangar
An underground hangar is a type of hangar for military aircraft, usually dug into the side of a mountain for protection. It is bigger and more protected than a hardened aircraft shelter (HAS).
An underground hangar complex may include tunnels con ...
s, the latter of which were employed by the Swedish military to limit the damage of preemptive attacks.
The six tanks in the fuselage and wings held approximately 5,000 litres of fuel with an additional 1,500 litres in an external drop tank. The specific fuel consumption was only 0.63 for cruise speeds
(fuel consumption was rated 18 mg/Ns dry and 71 with afterburner).
The Viggen's consumption was around 15 kg/s at maximum afterburner.
A pair of inlets placed alongside the cockpit feed air to the engine; simple fixed-geometry inlets were adopted, similar to the Draken, except for being larger and standing clear of the fuselage.
Armament
![Saab viggen underside](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Saab_viggen_underside.jpg)
A weapons load of up to 7,000 kg could be accommodated on nine hardpoints: one centreline pylon, two fuselage pylons, two inner and two outer wing pylons and two pylons behind the wing landing gear. The centreline pylon was the only pylon plumbed for carrying an external fuel tank, and was usually so occupied. A pair of air-to-air missiles were intended to be placed on the outboard wing pylons, which were more lightweight than the other attachment points.
[Ford 1973. p. 618.] The pylons behind the landing gear were not used until the JA 37D modification when BOL countermeasure dispensers were fitted to them. Ground crew would enter the munitions fitted into the aircraft's central computer using a load-selector panel, which would automatically choose the correct values for fire control, fuel consumption, and other calculations.
AJ 37
The AJ 37 was typically equipped with a total of seven
hardpoint
A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points (more formally known as a weapon station or station) on the ...
s, three underneath the fuselage and two under each wing, a further two wing-mounted hardpoints could be optionally fitted but this facility was rarely used. Various munitions could be carried, such as several types of rockets: the 135 mm M56GP 4 kg armour-piercing, the M56B with 6.9 kg of
high explosives
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
, and the M70 with a 4.7 kg HEAT warhead.
The AJ 37 was designed to carry two
RB 04
The RB-04 (Robot 04) is a long-range sea skimming fire-and-forget air-to-surface, anti-ship missile. The missile was known as the "RB-304" during development and early service years.
Development
While interest in guided anti-ship missiles was su ...
E
anti-ship missile
An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...
s on the inboard wing pylons with an optional third missile on the centreline pylon. The RB-04 was a relatively simple
cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhe ...
that was further developed to become the more capable
RBS-15
The RBS 15 (Robotsystem 15) is a long-range fire-and-forget surface-to-surface and air-to-surface anti-ship missile. The later version Mk. III has the ability to attack land targets as well. The missile was developed by the Swedish company Saab ...
, also integrated on the Viggen.
[Gunston and Gilchrist 1993, p. 247.] An optional load consisted of two
RB 05
The SAAB RB05 (abbreviation of Swedish: Robot 05, "Missile 05"), contemporarily named AT 3 internally, was a short-range air-to-surface missile with limited air-to-air capability that was developed in the 1960s by the Swedish company Saab-Scani ...
air-to-surface missile
An air-to-surface missile (ASM) or air-to-ground missile (AGM) is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft at targets on land or sea. There are also unpowered guided glide bombs not considered missiles. The two most common prop ...
s on the fuselage pylons. The RB 05 was later replaced by
AGM-65 Maverick
The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground missile (AGM) designed for close air support. It is the most widely produced precision-guided missile in the Western world, and is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air ...
(Swedish designation "RB 75")
television-guided missiles. In a ground-attack role, a combination of unguided 135 mm rockets in sextuple pods and 120 kg fragmentation bombs on quadruple-mounts could be used. Other armaments include
explosive mine A mine is an explosive placed underground or underwater that explodes when disturbed, or when remotely triggered. The term originated from the use of mining to go under the enemy's city walls.
Mines, unlike bombs, are placed ''in situ'' and then r ...
s, and 30 mm
ADEN cannon
The Royal Small Arms Factory ADEN cannon (ADEN being an acronym for "Armament Development, Enfield") is a 30 mm revolver cannon used on many military aircraft, particularly those of the British Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm. Developed po ...
pods
[Andersson 1989, p. 150.] with 150 rounds of ammunition on the inboard wing pylons.
[Jackson 1993, p. 59.]
Self-defence measures included various ECM systems, as well as either the
AIM-4 Falcon
The Hughes AIM-4 Falcon was the first operational guided air-to-air missile of the United States Air Force. Development began in 1946; the weapon was first tested in 1949. The missile entered service with the USAF in 1956.
Produced in both heat ...
(Swedish designation "RB 28") or
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder (where "AIM" stands for "Air Intercept Missile") is a short-range air-to-air missile which entered service with the US Navy in 1956 and subsequently was adopted by the US Air Force in 1964. Since then the Sidewinder has prov ...
(Swedish designation "RB 24") air-to-air missiles.
At one point, the AJ 37 Viggen was under consideration as a carrier of both
a Swedish nuclear weapon and
chemical weapon
A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as a ...
s, although no nuclear or chemical weapons were ultimately adopted by Sweden.
JA 37
The JA 37 fighter interceptor, introduced in 1979, featured the Ericsson PS 46/A radar, which was capable of guiding the medium-range
semi-active radar homing
Semi-active radar homing (SARH) is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range Air-to-air missile, air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is ...
RB 71 ''
Skyflash
The Skyflash, or Sky Flash in marketing material, was a medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile derived from the US AIM-7 Sparrow missile and carried by Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms and Tornado F3s, Italian ...
'' air-to-air missiles. Both the RB 71 and the PS 46/A radar were designed to provide the Viggen with a
look-down/shoot-down A radar system has look-down/shoot-down capability if it can detect, track and guide a weapon to an air target that (as seen by the radar) is silhouetted against the ground.
Problem and naming
Airborne intercept radar relying exclusively on time ...
capability and to engage targets at
beyond visual range
A beyond-visual-range missile (BVR) is an air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) that is capable of engaging at ranges of or beyond. This range has been achieved using dual pulse rocket motors or booster rocket motor and ramjet sustainer motor.
In additio ...
distances.
The JA 37 could carry up to two RB 71s on the inner wing pylons; in a typical air defense loadout, these would typically have been combined with four
RB 24J air-to-air missiles, a more capable and newer version of the Sidewinder missile than employed on earlier Viggen variants.
Following the evaluation of several alternative cannons, including the British
ADEN cannon
The Royal Small Arms Factory ADEN cannon (ADEN being an acronym for "Armament Development, Enfield") is a 30 mm revolver cannon used on many military aircraft, particularly those of the British Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm. Developed po ...
, the American
M61 Vulcan
The M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically, electrically, or pneumatically driven, six-barrel, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style rotary cannon which fires rounds at an extremely high rate (typically 6,000 rounds per minute). The M61 and its ...
, and French
DEFA cannon, an
Oerlikon KCA 30mm cannon was selected for the JA 37. The KCA was carried, along with 126 rounds of ammunition, in a conformal pod under the fuselage.
The firing rate of the cannon was selectable at 22 or 11 rounds per second. It fired the same cartridge as the
GAU-8
The General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm hydraulically driven seven-barrel Gatling-style autocannon that is primarily mounted in the United States Air Force's Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. Designed to destroy a wide variety of g ...
, reportedly 50% heavier shells at a higher velocity than the ADEN cannon, resulting in six and a half times the kinetic energy on impact, and was effective up to 2,000 meters.
[Jackson 1993, pp. 76–77.] This, in conjunction with the fire control system, allowed air-to-air engagements at longer range than other fighters.
[Warwick 1980, p. 1265.][Williams and Gustin 2004, p. 57.]
Perhaps the most important improvement was the expanded
STRIL
wedishTactical (Fighting Command) and Air Defence Control System ( sv, Stridsledning och luftbevakning, STRIL, , Combat control and air surveillance) in forms of STRIL 50 (operational in the 1950s) and STRIL 60 (operational in the 196 ...
datalink entered service in 1982-1985 that allowed not only ground control-aircraft communication, but also up to for aircraft simultaneously regardless if airborne or on the ground meaning flight control could be passed around as desired. Datalink information was displayed on the Horizontal Situation Display (
HUD
Hud or HUD may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Hud'' (1963 film), a 1963 film starring Paul Newman
* ''Hud'' (1986 film), a 1986 Norwegian film
* ''HUD'' (TV program), or ''Heads Up Daily'', a Canadian e-sports television program
Places
* Hud, Fa ...
) and a tactical display, the latter using link symbology that could be overlaid with an electronic map on a multifunction display (MFD).
Operational history
![SAAB J-37 Viggen special red version](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/SAAB_J-37_Viggen_special_red_version.jpg)
In July 1971, the first production AJ 37 Viggen was delivered to the Swedish Air Force.
The
Skaraborg Wing
Skaraborg Wing ( sv, Skaraborgs flygflottilj), also F 7 Såtenäs, or simply F 7, is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Lidköping in south-central Sweden.
History
The decision to set up the air wing was made in 1936, but ...
(F 7) became the first
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
to receive deliveries of both the single-seat AJ 37 attack model and the twin-seat SK 37 training model of the Viggen, where upon the type began to replace their existing Lansen aircraft.
[Gunston and Gilchrist 1993, p. 246.] Conversion training to pilot the Viggen involved a minimum of 450 flight hours performed on an initial mixture of the
Saab 105
The Saab 105 is a Swedish high-wing, twinjet trainer aircraft developed in the early 1960s as a private venture by Saab AB. The Swedish Air Force, which had opted to procure the type for various roles, issued the aircraft with the designation ...
, the Lansen, and finally the Viggen itself; dedicated Viggen simulators were also used, the latter of which was seen as a decisive factor in the ease of conversion to the type.
In October 1973, Skaraborg Wing was reportedly close to achieving full operational effectiveness;
by May 1974, the Swedish Air Force had two operational squadrons using the Viggen along with a third squadron in the final process of achieving that status.
By 1974, the safety and reliability levels of the Viggen were reportedly above expectations, despite the overall complexity and relative newness of the aircraft.
[Field 1974, p. 712.] In practice, one of the most significant issues encountered with the Viggen during low-level flight, as extensively performed during a typical attack mission profile, was the threat posed by birds; as such, the Swedish Air Force paid close attention to their migratory patterns.
[Field 1974, p. 710.]
During the later half of the 1970s and into the 1980s, the introduction of various variants of the Viggen proceeded; these included the SK 37, a two-seat operational-conversion trainer, introduced in 1972, the SF 37, an overland reconnaissance model, introduced in 1977, and the SH 37, a maritime reconnaissance version, introduced in 1975.
By September 1980s, the JA 37 fighter-interceptor model of the Viggen was introduced,
Bråvalla Wing
Bråvalla Wing ( sv, Bråvalla flygflottilj), also F 13 Norrköping, or simply F 13, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Norrköping in south-eastern Sweden.
History
The Air Wing was established in 1943 as the fourt ...
(F 13) being the first wing of the Swedish Air Force to convert to the new type.
[Warwick 1980, p. 1260.] The Viggen went on to become Sweden's primary air defense platform for many years.
[Boyne 2002, p. 548.]
The Viggen was designed to be simple to maintain, even by conscripted flight line mechanics with limited technical training.
[ ] A single Viggen could be maintained by a team of five conscripts under the supervision of a single chief mechanic.
[Boyne 2002, p. 610.] Standard turnaround, including refueling and rearming, took less than ten minutes to perform; while an engine replacement took four hours. Over the long term, the Viggen required 22-man hours per flight hour of maintenance work at the depot level, and nine-man hours per flight hour at the front line.
By the mid-1980s, Swedish Viggen fighter pilots, using the predictable patterns of
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. It was operated by the United States Air Force ...
routine flights over the Baltic Sea, had managed to achieve
radar lock-on
Lock-on is a feature of many radar systems that allow it to automatically follow a selected target. Lock-on was first designed for the AI Mk. IX radar in the UK, where it was known as lock-follow or auto-follow. Its first operational use was in t ...
with radar on the SR-71 on numerous occasions. Despite heavy jamming from the SR-71, target illumination was maintained by feeding target location from ground-based radars to the fire-control computer in the Viggen. The most common site for the lock-on to occur was the thin stretch of international airspace between Öland and Gotland that the SR-71 used on the return flight. The Viggen is the only aircraft to get an acknowledged radar lock on the SR-71.
Retirement
By 1994, the replacement of the Viggen by the later and more advanced Saab JAS 39 Gripen was in progress, the type being progressively phased out as greater numbers of Gripen aircraft were delivered.
On 25 November 2005, the last front line Viggen was formally retired by the Swedish Air Force.
A few aircraft were kept in an operational condition for electronic warfare training against the Gripen at
F 17M in
Linköping
Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church ...
; the last of these Viggen flights took place in June 2007.
Overseas sales efforts
Although Saab offered the Viggen for sale worldwide, and was the subject of a heavy marketing campaign in both European and
developing countries
A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...
during the 1970s, ultimately no export sales were made.
During the 1970s, Saab proposed a new variant of the Viggen, designated the Saab 37E Eurofighter (unrelated to the later
Eurofighter Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...
), for the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
Air Combat Fighter competition to find a replacement for the
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the "Century Series" of fi ...
. The 37E Eurofighter competed against
Dassault-Breguet's proposed
Mirage F1M-53, the
SEPECAT Jaguar
The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. It is still in service with the Indian Air Force.
Originall ...
,
Northrop's P-530 Cobra (on which the
YF-17
The Northrop YF-17 (nicknamed "Cobra") is a prototype lightweight fighter aircraft designed by Northrop aviation for the United States Air Force's Lightweight Fighter (LWF) technology evaluation program. The LWF was initiated because many in t ...
was based), and
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...
's
YF-16; on 13 January 1975,
United States Secretary of the Air Force
The secretary of the Air Force, sometimes referred to as the secretary of the Department of the Air Force, (SecAF, or SAF/OS) is the head of the Department of the Air Force and the service secretary for the United States Air Force and United S ...
John L. McLucas
John Luther McLucas (August 22, 1920 – December 1, 2002) was United States Secretary of the Air Force from 1973 to 1975, becoming Secretary of the Air Force on July 19, 1973. He had been Acting Secretary of the Air Force since May 15, 1973, and U ...
announced the YF-16 had been selected as the winner of the ACF competition.
In 1978, the United States blocked a major prospective sale to India, which would have involved selling a number of Swedish-built Viggens in addition to a
licensed production Licensed production is the production under license of technology developed elsewhere. The licensee provides the licensor of a specific product with legal production rights, technical information, process technology, and any other proprietary compon ...
agreement under which the Viggen would also have been built in India, by not issuing an export license for the RM8/JT8D engine and other American technologies used.
India later opted to procure the
SEPECAT Jaguar
The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. It is still in service with the Indian Air Force.
Originall ...
in its place. According to
leaked United States diplomatic cables, India's interest in the Viggen was reported to be entirely due to
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...
's influence, and had alleged have been without any input from the Indian Air Force.
[Krishnaswamy, Murali N]
"Rajiv Gandhi was 'entrepreneur' for Swedish jet, U.S. cable says."
''The Hindu'', 8 April 2013. According to author Chris Smith, the Viggen had been the favoured candidate for the Indian Air Force prior to the deal being blocked by the US.
Variants
;AJ 37: Primarily a single-seat ground-attack fighter aircraft (AJ: Attack-Jakt), with a secondary fighter role.
[Jackson 1993, p. 57.] RM8A powerplant. PS 37A radar.
[Jackson 1993, pp. 63–66.] First delivery in mid-1971,
[Andersson 1989, p. 148.] 108 built, with serial numbers 37001-37108.
[Jackson 1993, p. 82.] 48 airframes upgraded to AJS 37.
[Hewson 1995, p. 31.] Partially decommissioned in 1998.
;SK 37: Two-seat trainer aircraft (Sk: Skol) with no radar and reduced fuel.
[Jackson 1993, pp. 70–71.] First flight on 2 July 1970.
[Andersson 1989, p. 155.] 17 built, with delivery from June 1972, serial numbers 37801-37817.
Decommissioned in 2003, 10 airframes converted to SK 37E.
;SF 37: Single-seat photographic reconnaissance aircraft (SF: Spaning Foto), with radar replaced by battery of cameras in nose, with provision for additional reconnaissance pods.
[Jackson 1993, pp. 59, 70.] It made its first flight on 21 May 1973.
[Andersson 1989, p. 152.] 28 built, with deliveries from April 1977, serial numbers 37950-37977.
25 airframes upgraded to AJSF 37.
Partially decommissioned in 1998.
;SH 37: (SH- Spaning Hav, reconnaissance sea) Single-seat maritime reconnaissance and strike aircraft,
equipped with PS-371A radar.
[Jackson 1993, p. 70.] 27 built, with delivery from June 1975, serial numbers 37901-37927.
25 airframes upgraded to AJSH 37.
Partially decommissioned in 1998.
;Saab 37E Eurofighter: Proposed NATO replacement of F-104 Starfighter in 1975, none built.
[Jackson 1993, p. 78.]
;Saab 37X: Proposed export version offered to Norway in 1967–68, none built.
[Jackson 1993, pp. 78, 80.]
;JA 37: Primarily a single-seat all-weather interceptor fighter, with a secondary attack role. Its first flight was on 27 September 1974
[Andersson 1989, p. 162.] with the first deliveries starting in 1979,
serial numbers 37301-37449. A stretch in the shape of a wedge wider at the bottom than on the top of AJ 37 fuselage between canard and main wing. PS 46A LD/SD radar. Partially decommissioned in 1998, some upgraded to JA 37D.
;AJS/AJSF/AJSH 37: Upgrade of some AJ/SF/SH 37 between 1993 and 1998. Avionics and software upgrade. 48 AJ 37 airframes modified. 25 SH 37 airframes modified. 25 SF 37 airframes modified. Decommissioned in 2005.
;JA 37C: Upgrade of older JA 37, avionics and software upgrade as well as the integration of countermeasures.
;JA 37D: Upgrade of older JA 37 between 1993 and 1998, avionics and software upgrade. Rb99 air-to-air missile (AIM-120 in Swedish service) integrated. 35 airframes modified.
;JA 37DI: JA 37D with avionics and software modified for international duties. Instruments labeled in English and feet/knots instead of meter/kmh. 20 airframes modified.
;SK 37E: Electronic warfare trainer, conversion of 10 obsolete SK 37 trainers from 1998 to 2000, serial numbers 37807-37811 & 37813-37817, decommissioned in 2007.
Operators
![SE-DXN SAAB Viggen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/SE-DXN_SAAB_Viggen_%22Gustav_52%22_%2821366952562%29.jpg)
;
*
Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.
History
The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...
Operational units
*
F 4 Frösön
** 2 squadrons JA 37 1983–2003
** 1 squadron SK 37 1999–2003
** 1 squadron SK 37E 1999–2003
*
F 6 Karlsborg
** 2 squadrons AJ 37 1978–1993
*
F 7 Såtenäs
** 3 squadrons AJ 37 1972–1998
** 1 squadron SK 37 1972–1974
*
F 10 Ängelholm
** 1 squadron AJ/SF/SH 37 (combined) 1993–2001
*
F 13 Norrköping
** 1 squadron SF/SH 37 (combined) 1977–1993
** 1 squadron JA 37 1980–1993
*
F 15 Söderhamn
** 2 squadrons AJ 37 1974–1998
** 1 squadron SK 37 1974–1998
*
F 16 Uppsala
** 2 squadrons JA 37 1986–2003
*
F 17 Kallinge
** 1 squadron JA 37 1981–2002
** 1 squadron SF/SH 37 (combined) 1979–1993
** 1 squadron JA 37 1993–2002
*
F 21 Luleå
** 2 squadrons JA 37 1983–2004
** 1 squadron SF/SH 37 1979–2002
** 1 squadron SK 37E (combined) 2003–2007
Accident and incidents
Very little is publicized about Sweden's military air accidents and incidents, however, an incident resulting in a fatality of a Saab 37 pilot during a reconnaissance fly-by of Russian nuclear-powered
battlecruiser ''Pyotr Velikiy'' occurred on 16 October, 1996, and is the last known operational fatality of 19 total known fatalities (in over 50 accidents) involving the Saab 37 Viggen in its almost-40 years operational history.
Surviving aircraft
![Septemberleucharsviggen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Septemberleucharsviggen.jpg)
* An AJS 37 Viggen (s/n 37098) with the code F 7–52 has been retained and went through a long period of restoration and maintenance to be airworthy again. This Viggen was built in 1977 and served all its active duty in F 15 Wing at Söderhamn. It was transferred into civil registry with the registration number SE-DXN. It undertook its maiden flight after having been approved by the authorities on 27 March 2012 from the F 7 Wing at Såtenäs. The Viggen is unpainted to represent the first delivered Viggens as they looked in the early 1970s.
* An SK 37 Viggen (two seat trainer) (s/n 37809) with the code F 15-61 has been retained and went through a period of restoration and maintenance to be airworthy again. This Viggen was built in 1973 and served its first activities in F 7 Wing at Såtenäs, later in F 15 Wing at Söderhamn and finally in FMV Prov at Linköping until 2007. It was transferred into civil registry with the registration number SE-DXO. It undertook its maiden flight 15 May 2018 from the F 7 Wing at Såtenäs after having been approved by the authorities on 21 March 2018 The Viggen is painted in the unique four colour camouflage as all Viggens were painted from the late 1970s.
* An SK 37E Viggen (s/n 37898) is preserved at the
Musée de l’air et de l’espace located at the former
Paris–Le Bourget Airport
Paris–Le Bourget Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget) is an airport located within portions of the communes of Le Bourget, Bonneuil-en-France, Dugny and Gonesse, north-northeast of Paris, France.
Once Paris's principal ...
in France.
* An JA 37 Viggen (sn: 37429) is preserved at
Estonian Aviation Museum
The Estonian Aviation Museum is located in Lange near Tartu in Estonia. It is the only aviation museum in the country.
The museum was founded in December 1999 in accordance with a private initiative procedure and officially opened to the public ...
near Tartu, Estonia. The aircraft was obtained from Swedish Air Force Museum, and flew from Sweden to Tartu in 2004.
* A AJSF 37 Viggen (s/n 37954) is on display of Polish Aviation Museum in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
.
* Two Viggens as well as the nose parts of some JA-37s can be found at the
Aeroseum near
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
. An AJ-37 (s/n 37094/57) and an AJSH-37 (s/n 37911/55).
* Two Viggens can be found at Söderhamn Aviation Museum at the former F 15 wing in Söderhamn, Sweden. One is an AJS 37 and the other is an SK 37 trainer aircraft.
* An AJ 37 Viggen is on display at the Västerås Aviation Museum in Västerås, Sweden.
* An AJS 37 Viggen is on display at the Swedish Airforce Museum in Linköping, Sweden.
* An AJSH 37 Viggen (s/n 373918) is on display at
Newark Air Museum
Newark Air Museum is an air museum located on a former Royal Air Force station at Winthorpe, near Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England. The museum contains a variety of aircraft.
History
The airfield was known as RAF Winthorpe during ...
, Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK.
* The front section of an SF 37 Viggen is on display at the Swedish Aerial Reconnaissance Museum located at the old F 11 wing in Nyköping, Sweden.
* An AJSF 37 Viggen is on display at Prague Aviation Museum, Kbely, Czech Republic. s/n 37957 c/n 56-21.
* An AJSH 37 Viggen (s/n 37901) is on display at the
Aviodrome
The Nationaal Luchtvaart-Themapark Aviodrome (also known simply as Aviodrome) is a large aerospace museum in the Netherlands that has been located on Lelystad Airport since 2003. Previously the museum was located at Schiphol Airport. museum at
Lelystad
Lelystad () is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands, and it is the capital of the province of Flevoland. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who engineered the Afsluitdi ...
Airport in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
* An AJSF 37 Viggen (s/n 374974) is on display at the
Flugausstellung Hermeskeil
The Flugausstellung Peter Junior, previously the Flugausstellung Hermeskeil, is a private aviation museum in the town of Hermeskeil in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The museum opened in July 1973 in several buildings with a covered a ...
museum in
Hermeskeil
Hermeskeil () is a city in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Hunsrück, approx. 25 km southeast of Trier. Its population is about 5,900.
Data
Hermeskeil is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeind ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
* Five Ja 37 Viggens, of which one is JA37Di standard preserved at Jämtlands Flyg och Lottamuseum, Jämtland, Sweden.
* One AJ 37 Viggen preserved at Jämtlands Flyg och Lottamuseum, Jämtland, Sweden.
*Front half of one AJS 37 Viggen preserved at Jämtlands Flyg och Lottamuseum, Jämtland, Sweden.
*One SK 37 Viggen preserved at Jämtlands Flyg och Lottamuseum, Jämtland, Sweden.
*One AJ 37 Viggen is on display in Luleå, Norrbotten, Sweden.
Specifications (JA 37 Viggen)
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
* Andersson, Hans G. ''Saab Aircraft Since 1937'' Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989. ,
* Bitzinger, Richard. ''Facing the future: the Swedish Air Force, 1990–2005.'' Rand Corporation, 1991. .
* Boyne, Walter J. ''Air Warfare: An International Encyclopedia, Volume 1.'' ABC-CLIO, 2002. .
* Chant, Christopher. ''A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware.'' London: Routledge, 2014. .
* Coombes, L.F.E. ''Control in the Sky – The Evolution and History of the Aircraft Cockpit''. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword Books/Leo Cooper, 2005. .
* Coram, Robert. ''Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War''.
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
: Little, Brown, and Co., 2002. .
* Crickmore, Paul F
''Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions''.Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2004. .
* Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. ''Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft (single volume ed.)''. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1996. .
* Eliasson, Gunnar. ''Advanced Public Procurement as Industrial Policy: The Aircraft Industry as a Technical University.'' Springer Science & Business Media, 2010. .
* Field, Hughes
''Flight International'', 30 May 1974. pp. 707–12.
* Fredriksen, John C. ''International Warbirds: An Illustrated Guide to World Military Aircraft, 1914–2000.'' ABC-CLIO, 2001. .
* Ford, T.E
''Flight International'', 11 October 1973. pp. 616–19.
* FPL JA37 ''Speciell Förarinstruktion FPL JA37'' ''(A/C JA37 Flight Manual)'' , Försvarets Materielverk, M5800-370051, 1983
* Erichs, Rolph et al. ''The Saab-Scania Story''. Stockholm: Streiffert & Co., 1988. .
* Forsberg, Randall. ''The Arms Production Dilemma: Contraction and Restraint in the World Combat Aircraft Industry''. MIT Press, 1994. .
* Gunston, Bill and Mike Spick. ''Modern Air Combat: The Aircraft, Tactics and Weapons Employed in Aerial Warfare Today''. New York: Crescent Books, 1983. .
* ––– and Mike Spick. ''Moderne Kampfflugzeuge''
odern combat aircraft(in German). Tyskland,
DE: Stocker-Schmid AG Verlag, 2001, p. 148. .
* ––– and Peter Gilchrist. ''Jet Bombers: From the Messerschmitt Me 262 to the Stealth B-2''. Osprey, 1993. .
* Hewson, Robert. "Briefing: Saab AJS 37 Viggen: The Flygvapen's new 'Thunderbolt'". ''World Air Power Journal'', Volume 22, Autumn/Fall 1995, pp. 30–31. London: Aerospace Publishing. . .
* Larsson, Bengt. Martin Letell and Håkan Thörn. ''Transformations of the Swedish Welfare State: From Social Engineering to Governance?'' Springer, 2012. .
* Jackson, Paul. "Saab 37 Viggen". ''World Air Power Journal'', Volume 13, Summer 1993, pp. 46–89. London: Aerospace Publishing, .
* Nativi, Andrea. "Viggen, Il Caccia Venuto dal Freddo"
iggen, The Hunting Came from the Cold(in Italian). ''RID magazine'', June 1993, pp. 20–36.
* Peacock, Lindsay. ''On Falcon Wings: The F-16 Story''.
RAF Fairford
Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Gloucestershire, England which is currently a standby airfield and therefore not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an ...
, United Kingdom: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises, 1997. .
* Roskam, Jan. ''Airplane Design: Layout Design of Cockpit, Fuselage, Wing and Empennage : Cutaways and Inboard Profiles.'' DARcorporation, 2002. .
* Smith, Chris. "India's Ad Hoc Arsenal: Direction Or Drift in Defence Policy?" ''Oxford University Press'', 1994. .
* Snyder, William P. and James Brown. ''Defense Policy in the Reagan Administration''. DIANE Publishing, 1997. .
* Taylor, John W.R. "SAAB 37 Viggen (Thunderbolt)". ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1980–81''. London: Jane's, 1981. .
* –––, ed. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1988–1989''. London: Jane's, 1988. .
* ''This Happens in the Swedish Air Force'' (brochure). Stockholm: Information Department of the Air Staff, Flygstabens informationsavdelning, Swedish Air Force, 1983.
* Wagner, Paul J. ''Air Force Tac Recce Aircraft: NATO and Non-aligned Western European Air Force Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft of the Cold War.'' Dorrance Publishing, 2009. .
* Warwick, Graham
"Interceptor Viggen."''Flight International'', 27 September 1980. pp. 1260–65.
* Williams, Antony G. and Dr. Emmanuel Gustin. ''Flying Guns, The Modern Era''. Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press, 2004. .
* Wilson, Stewart. ''Combat Aircraft since 1945''. Fyshwick, AU: Aerospace Publications, 2000. .
* Winchester, Jim, ed. "Saab AJ/SF/SH Viggen". ''Military Aircraft of the Cold War'' (The Aviation Factfile). London: Grange Books, 2006. .
External links
* .
Saab 37 Viggen SE: Passagen.
SE: Canit.
* .
* .
Saab 37 Viggen webpage (in Dutch)
(in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saab 37 Viggen
Delta-wing aircraft
Saab aircraft
1960s Swedish fighter aircraft
Canard aircraft
Single-engined jet aircraft
Nuclear weapons programme of Sweden
Aircraft first flown in 1967
1967 establishments in Sweden