Saab 37 Viggen "Thunderbolt", Also "Tufted Duck"

Ängelholms Flygmuseum Saab 37 Viggen "Thunderbolt", also "Tufted duck" Operational History The Saab 37 Viggen is a Swedish single-seat, single- engine, short-medium range combat aircraft, manufactured between 1970 and 1990. Several distinctive variants were produced to perform the roles of strike fighter (AJ 37), aerial reconnaissance (SF 37), maritime patrol aircraft (SH 37) and a two-seat trainer (SK 37). In the late 1970s, the all-weather fighter- interceptor aircraft JA 37 variant was introduced. In November 2005, the Viggen was retired from service by the Swedish Air Force, the sole operator of the type, having been replaced by the newer Saab JAS 39 Gripen.In the late 1970s the all-weather fighter-interceptor JA 37 was added. Development The Viggen was initially developed as a replacement for the Saab 32 Lansen in the attack role and later the Saab 35 Draken as a fighter. The first studies were carried out between 1952 and 1957 involving the Finnish aircraft designer Aarne Lakomaa. Several different concepts were studied involving both single- and twin engines, both simple and double delta wings and also with canard wings. Even VTOL designs were considered, with separate lift engines. The aim was to produce a robust aircraft with good short-runway performance that could be operated from numerous specially prepared roads and highways to reduce the vulnerability to attack in the event of war. Other requirements included supersonic 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 air-craft was also designed from the beginning to be easy to repair and service, even for personnel without much training. To meet these design goals, Saab selected a radical configuration: a conventional delta wing with a small, high-set canard foreplane. Canard aircraft have since become common in fighter aircraft, notably with the Euro-fighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Saab JAS 39 Gripen and the IAI Kfir, but mainly for agility reasons rather than STOL capa- bilities. The final proposal was presented and accepted on 28 September 1962. Construction started in 1964, with a first prototype maiden flight on 8 February 1967. In 1960, the US National Security Council, led by President Eisenhower, formulated a military security guarantee for Sweden. The US promised to help the Swedish militarily 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 US aeronautical technology which made it possible to design and produce the Saab 37 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 reason for this officially unexplained U.S. support was the need to protect U.S.Polaris submarines deployed just outside the Swedish west coast against the threat of Soviet antisubmarine aircraft. However, Bruzelius' theory has been discredited by Simon Moores and Jerker Widén. The Polaris and Saab 37 connection also appears highly doubtful due to the time scale - the Saab 37 system only became operational in 1971 (strike version) and 1978 (fighter version) respectively, long after the Polaris system had been retired. Cockpit of an AJSF 37 Viggen .

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