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Saab JA37 Viggen (Thunderbolt)

1968 COLD WAR

History

The Swedish Saab JA 37 "Wiegand" ("Thunderbolt") is another milestone in aircraft design for the Scandinavian state, which strictly adheres to its policy of indigenous design, development and production of various front-line military weapons. The aircraft - a true multirole fighter jet at the time - was designed from the outset to be as "battle friendly" as possible, using the Swedish motorway network as an emergency landing runway and also being serviceable via ( Cheer up and level up) a team of only seven - even if six were drafted. Adding to this battlefield survivability is an advanced onboard computer that does not require a second aircrew as a dedicated radar operator, allowing interior volume for fuel and avionics. The perfect requirement was a foldable vertical stabilizer that reduced the aircraft's side profile and enabled it to be stowed in various underground hangars strategically located across the country.

If the Soviet Union were to invade, Sweden would have been prepared.

The Viggen emerged in response to a request from the Swedish Air Force to replace the Saab "Draken" as a front-line interceptor/fighter with the inherent strike capabilities of the outgoing Saab 32 "Lansen" series. Work on Viggen began as early as 1952 and continued to evolve over the decade before government approval in December 1961. Originally camouflaged to contain a combat platform, this model was followed by a reconnaissance variant and then an all-weather fighter/interceptor with superior performance and handling. A prototype flew for the first time on February 8, 1967, proving that this rather unorthodox design was very robust.

In April of the following year, serial production was ordered under the name "Wiegand" and it was launched on June 21, 1971.

The original production version of the Viggen was the AJ 37, which retained combat capability while serving a single-seat ground attack role. Delivered in 1971, the aircraft was powered by an RM8A engine and had an Ericsson PS-37/A series radar in the nose. Saab provided the vehicle with the navigation/attack computer hardware and software, as well as the HUD system.

The SK 37 has been around since 1973 as a two-seater trainer without the AJ 37 radar. The SF 37 is a single-seat, photographic reconnaissance mission that replaces the nose's radar system with a set of cameras. The SH 37 is deployed for maritime patrol missions with built-in surface strike capability.

These planes began to appear in 1975.

JA 37 became the final (and final) form of Wigan production. These are single-seat interceptors that retain their strike capability and first appeared in 1979. This model carries the Ericsson PS-46/A "look down/shoot" Doppler Doppler multi-mode radar suite to support missile weapons.

The RM8B engine is an improved design with a slight modification to the canard front wing. The last of these were delivered in 1990. The JA 37C is the JA 37 model, upgraded with new flight software and avionics for multi-role service.

Likewise, 35 aircraft JA 37Ds were JA 37s upgraded with new avionics and software, followed by about 20 JA 37Ds upgraded to JA 37DI standard, upgraded with more modern PS-46/A radar systems and AIM-120 missile support . The AJS model series has previously been upgraded (AJ 37, SF 37 and SH 37) Viggens to new standards introducing modern avionics and software. Modernization took place from 1993 to 1998, with a total of 86 existing airframes.

Some lesser-known models of Viggen have also been validated, including the SK 37E used as an EWA (Electronic Warfare Aircraft) training platform. The inventory includes 10 outgoing SK 37 trainer types, modified from 1998 to 2000. The Saab 37X was originally intended to be an export variant of the mainline JA 37, but that plan fell through.

The Saab 37E "Eurofighter" was a NATO-proposed interceptor competitor designed to replace the stockpile of Lockheed F-104 starfighters in service at the time. The project has morphed into something intangible.

Wiggins production totaled 329, well below the original plan of more than 800. Production spanned from 1970 to 1990, and this model provided outstanding service for 34 years during the critical and turbulent decades of the Cold War. Due to Sweden's strict export regulations, the product was never exported, but the Saab aircraft served a total of 25 squadrons of the Swedish Air Force during its long and storied tenure.

The production line was finally discontinued on November 25, 2005, and was replaced directly by the new Saab Gripen light multirole fighter, as detailed elsewhere on this site.