Saab J32 Lansen (Lance)

History

In the late 1940s, the Swedish Air Force (or "Flygvapnet") evaluated options to replace its aging family of attack platforms - these were foreign acquisitions and domestic aircraft designs. According to Swedish military thinking - in the case of a total war, the entire country becomes a battlefield - the new aircraft should be able to reach anywhere in Sweden at any time of the day, inland or at sea in any weather. The Soviet Empire proved to be the main threat to Sweden in the region, so the aircraft served as both a deterrent to a Red Army invasion and a deadly tool in the event of an invasion.

Speed ??will of course play a big role in the design, as will weapons - the ability to entangle with land-based and airborne targets using guns, missiles and missiles as needed. One of the aircraft's primary missile weapons would eventually be the same new Rb 04 anti-ship missile, which was under development at the time, but later a licensed production copy of the American AIM-8 Sidewinder ("Rb 24" in Swedish inventory).

In 1948, Saab delivered a two-seater, jet-powered, swept-wing P1150 prototype with a smooth fuselage profile and a British Rolls-Royce Avon 100 series afterburner turbojet (the latter also licensed from Svenska in Sweden) ) in conjunction with the built-in). Flygmotor like RM). Interestingly, the aircraft was also fitted with the first pair of computer-designed wings to test initial concepts.

The first flight of the prototype was recorded on November 3, 1952. After a relatively brief evaluation and testing of several other prototypes, the P1150 officially joined the Flygvapnet ranks as the Saab J32 "Lansen" (or "Lance"). Production began in 1953, and on October 25 of that year, one example broke the sound barrier, albeit at a shallow dive. The first production version - the "attack" model A 32A - was officially introduced to the Flygvapnet in 1955. Once the Flygvapnet was up and running, the Flygvapnet pilots and crew quickly noticed the aircraft's pleasing flight characteristics.

Until 1997, the Ransom series was in active service in one form or another, all in service with the Swedish Air Force.

The Lansen shares some external design similarities with several contemporary aircraft, including the North American F-86 Saber (layout), the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star (air intakes, profile), and the Supermarine Swift (layout) - All Jets - Powered fighter jets powered by turbojets and all fighter jets except the Meteor were launched during this period. This weapon was fairly typical for any fighter jet of the time, including only two air-to-air missiles and an integrated battery. However, the two-person crew gave the Ranson an edge over its contemporaries, providing an extra pair of "sky eyes" as well as another "body" to share the workload of long-distance patrols.

During its long service period, the airframe itself eventually proved so versatile that it was used in a variety of air battlefield roles beyond ground attack, including professional fighter jets, reconnaissance platforms, electronic warfare platforms, maritime patrol/anti-ship defense and target tugboat.

The Lansen's design is very traditional, with a tubular and slender hull that tapers at the ends. The nose is conical and houses the radar (if installed as such) and cannon armament. The plane was flown by a team of two people sitting side by side under the one-piece canopy, with the pilot in the front seat. Although the engine is single-powered, it is drawn in by two semi-circular air intakes located on either side of the front of the fuselage. The air intakes are expertly tailored to fit the refined shape inherent in the Lansen overall, and the engine pops out through a ring at the end of the design.

The wings are positioned low in the middle of the fuselage and swept back nicely on both the leading and trailing edges (more on the leading edge). There are various underwing hardpoints and landing gear compartments on the wings. The landing gear is a typical tricycle arrangement, with the main landing gear struts retracted to the centerline at the root of the wing and the nose landing gear struts folded forward under and forward of the cockpit floor.

At rest and with the gear down, the Lansen is inconspicuous in every way. The rear wing is conventional, consisting of a vertical wing with a swept leading edge (truncated at the top edge) and a pair of moderately sized horizontal planes, which also have curvature at the bottom.

Although the overall design is unobtrusive, the Lansen is still a functional body, continuing the great Swedish tradition of creating a well-designed product where style is as important as function.

The base J 32B fighter model is powered by a Svenska Flygmotor RM6A turbojet, producing approximately 10,560 pounds of dry thrust and over 14,685 pounds of afterburner thrust (the afterburner is nothing but raw fuel pumped into the engine , to generate short extra power cycles, so power in the form of maximum speed). The reported curb weight is 16,535 pounds, while the maximum takeoff weight is around 29,760 pounds. With a reported top speed of 745 mph on par with other jet fighters of the time it had a range of about 1,250 miles.

With her service capped at 49,200 feet, which requires the use of pressurized cabins and oxygen from the crew on board, Lansen has an impressive climb rate of 19,685 feet per minute. Her length is exactly 49 feet, with a wingspan of nearly 42 feet 8 inches.

She reportedly rests at 15 feet 3 inches by no means a small fighter.

After the P1150 prototype, Lansen has a few variants. These include the A 32A ground attack and sea attack variants, of which about 287 were produced between 1955 and 1957.

These airframes are suitably equipped with quadruple 20mm Bofors guns in the nose, and this weapon can be further enhanced by its inherent provisions for air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles or missile pods, the latter with For unguided missiles the 75mm multipurpose rocket is suitable. The A 32A model was officially retired from Swedish service in 1978.

The J32B started out as a dedicated severe weather/night fighter, but was eventually classified as an "all-weather" mount in line with similar fighters of the time. Between 1958 and 1960, about 118 samples followed the first pair of prototypes.

Unlike the A 32A series, the J32B is armed with 4 x 30 mm ADEN guns and is armed with infrared or radar-guided missiles in the form of the Rb 24 (licensed American AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range aircraft). anti-aircraft missiles). Missiles can also give way to missile-carrying pods, as in the A 32A attack model.

In addition to the improved weapons capabilities, the J 32B is also fitted with a more powerful RM 6A series engine, which is essentially a licensed copy of the British Rolls-Royce Avon Mk 47A series. The J 32B was in service with the Swedish Armed Forces until 1973.

The S 32C was specially developed by Lansen for photographic reconnaissance missions. The S 32C is based on the existing A 32A airframe, but is equipped with a pair of SKa 17 and a pair of SKa 18 serial cameras, as well as an extended version of the PS-432/A radar system.

About 45 aircraft of this type were eventually delivered.

Like most other airframes that have matured, the Lansen was modified to take on the ignominious role of a target tug under the J 32D. These drones help provide airsoft firing and missile tracking/air defense technology to a new generation of Swedish pilots.

Surprisingly, the J 32D served in Sweden until 1997, becoming one of the last uses of the Ranson series.

Also retired in 1997 was the J 32E, a dedicated electronic warfare/countermeasure variant improved from the existing J 32B model. These airframes are equipped with a variety of specialized equipment, including airborne jamming systems for countering radar beams on land and at sea.

About 14 J 32B models were converted for this role.

Two proposed Lansen designs were also developed in the mid-1950s, but were never commissioned by the Swedish authorities. These include the J 32AD day fighter and the improved J 32U fighter. The J 32AD was developed in 1953 as a possible 'bridge' solution between the outgoing Saab J29 Tunnan fighter and the upcoming Saab J35 Draken fighter for the Swedish Air Force. The J 32AD will retain the powerful 4 x 20mm gun armament, but will also add a 30mm Ayton gun.

Of course, missiles are also one of the J 32AD's strengths. The body has been further lightened from the original to improve performance specifications. However, the Swedish government initially opted to purchase 120 of the proven British Hawker Hunter fighters.

J32U was developed in 1954 with better performance specifications and features. As a result, the fuselage features a revised wing design and is equipped with more powerful Rolls-Royce RA 19R series turbojets. Like the J 32AD, the J 32U was not selected for production.

A total of 450 Ransoms were produced from 1953 to 1959. When Sweden became the sole operator of Lansen, they deployed the system to some extent in no less than 13 Flygvapnet squadrons: F1, F3, F4, F6, F7, F11, F13, F14, F15, F16, F17 and F21.

As recently as May 2010, one of the two remaining operating Lansens was reportedly used to collect airborne ash samples in response to a volcanic eruption in Iceland, which grounded thousands of commercial flights across Europe. The two planes, which are normally on standby, are now in a similar role at the Swedish Radiation Protection Agency to monitor high-altitude radiation levels.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes