The history of the development of the Saab 35 fighter

Saab had not yet developed the theory of transonic area rate at the time of the design of the Dragon, which had a certain impact on the supersonic performance of the Dragon. Since the entire body of the "Dragon" is basically straight, it was originally thought that the "Dragon" was bulky and inflexible, but in fact, on the contrary, the aerodynamic layout of the double delta wing made it have good close-range combat performance. Since the "Dragon" entered service, Sweden has not purchased foreign fighters, ending the history of the need for "outsiders" for air defense operations, because for the Air Force, the "Dragon" meets the needs of air defense operations.

The fighter with the tailless delta wing design of the "Dragon" contemporaneous also has the American F-102 interceptor, but for the US Air Force, this interceptor with a total production of more than 1,000 aircraft was not successful, and its maximum speed was only Mach, and the cruising speed was only Mach, and it was eliminated not long after. The Gloucester "Javelin" in service in the United Kingdom in 1956 is a subsonic interceptor, with a small number of equipment and much worse performance than the "Dragon", which can be compared with the "Dragon" and belongs to the French "Phantom". Dassault's masterpiece, the "Mirage" fighter, has outstanding performance, equipment and rich combat experience in many countries, and the "Dragon" is beyond the reach of the "Dragon".

However, it should be taken into account that Sweden is a country whose total population is not as good as that of the city of Chajing, and the first supersonic fighter designed by Saab adopted a large-swept tailless double delta wing layout, and the maximum speed was set at Mach, and later its modification reached a speed of Mach 2. This courage of the Swedes to use advanced technology is not only reflected in the design of the aircraft, but also in its unique S-type tanks, Bofors guns, small stealth ships, AIP submarines ......This is Sweden.

The SAAB-35 fighter "Dragon" is a multi-purpose supersonic fighter developed by the Swedish SAAB aircraft company. It can perform a variety of tasks such as volleying, ground attack, and photographic reconnaissance. Design began in 1951, and the prototype made its first test flight in October 1955.

The pre-production version flew in February 1958. By 1973, 589 had been produced. was the main fighter of the Swedish Air Force in the 60s; Its types are:

Type A, B, D, F are interceptors with ground attack capabilities; Type C, two-seater trainer; Type E, tactical photographic reconnaissance type; The XD type is an attack exported to Denmark reconnaissance type; The XS model is a volley type exported to Finland.

In 1985, Austria became the last country to purchase the Dragon, and the only non-Nordic country to do so. Austria purchased 24 J 35Ds used by the Royal Swedish Air Force. After the refurbishment, the designation of these "dragons" was changed to J 35O, and the letter "O" stands for Austria, as the Swedish name for Austria is "Oesterreich".

What about the so-called "one machine with multiple types"? To put it simply, it is an aircraft that can be turned into an interceptor (fighter), an attack aircraft (a strong attack aircraft), a reconnaissance aircraft and a trainer aircraft according to different requirements. That is, when the aircraft is replaced with certain equipment, it can perform different tasks separately.

The SAAB37 "Thunder" fighter is the successor to the SAAB35 "Dragon" developed by Sweden in the early 70s. There are six types of front and rear types, which are responsible for attack, interception, reconnaissance and training. The four models – AJ37, SF37, SH37 and SK37 – belong to the first generation design, and a total of 189 units were produced along with nine prototypes. The JA37 and AJS37 belong to the second generation of the design, and a total of 149 were produced.

The total number of Type 6 aircraft is 339 units.

The AJ37 is a ground attack type, but can also perform limited interception missions. The SH37 is a radar-equipped reconnaissance maritime attack version equipped with an improved fire control radar PS-371 F that can detect targets against the backdrop of sea surface clutter. **The storage capacity of the mission computer CK37 is also larger than that of AJ37.

And equipped with SKA24D600mm night camera.

It is a photographic reconnaissance type (SF-spaningfoto). The aircraft is equipped with seven cameras (three SKA24C 120mm cameras, one SKA24 and two SKA31 600mm cameras) and data logging devices. The SK37 is a two-seat trainer with essentially the same fire control equipment as the AJ37.

The JA37 is a volley, and the fire control equipment of the JA37 "Thunder" includes an EP-12 electronic display device, a CD107 digital ** computer and a PS-46 A multifunctional attack radar.

The AJS37 is a transitional model modified from the AJ37 "Ray" to fill the operational needs of the JAS39 "Gripen" fighter before it enters service. In the spring of 1991, it began to improve and develop, and after 1993, it entered active service one after another. It is planned to retrofit 115 aircraft.

As a canard layout and short take-off and landing fighter, the Saab 37 "Thunder" realizes the design idea of one aircraft and multiple types, and is a successful work in line with Sweden's national conditions. As a fighter developed in the sixties, it has a side that is ahead of its time, but of course it has some inevitable flaws. One of the major regrets in the design of the "Ray" is that it did not introduce air refueling technology, which was not difficult to obtain in terms of the international relations between Sweden and the European and American aviation powers at that time, even if it was not possible to obtain the technology from abroad and independently developed it.

Of course, for Sweden's land area and national defense policy at that time, the "Thunder" could fully meet the operational needs even if it did not use aerial refueling technology. Another regret is that the mechanical control system is still used, and if it is put into service a few years later, it may still be able to catch up with the application of fly-by-wire control technology, and this will greatly improve the handling performance of the "Thunder". For a canard fighter that is static and unstable, it is not easy to give full play to its high maneuverability by using a mechanical control system.

For aviation fans, the adoption of these technologies will make the "Thunder" more perfect and become an ideal perfect fighter.

AJ37 empty weight (kg): 9500

Maximum take-off weight (kg): 18000

Maximum bomb load (kg): 3600

Maximum level flight speed (km/h): 2125

Rate of climb (ms): 203

Practical ceiling (m): 18300

Transit range (km): 2000

Inside**: 30mm Erlikon KCA Cannon 1

Dimensions. Aircraft length (including airspeed tube) 40 meters.

The height of the machine is 90 meters.

Wing area m2

Wing aspect ratio 45

Front wingspan 45 meters.

Front wing area (exposed) 20 m2

The main wheel base is 76 meters.

The front main wheel track is 69 meters.

Weight and load (estimated).

Normal take-off weight (without plug-in) 15000 kg.

with normal ** load) 17000 kg.

Performance data. Maximum level flight speed (altitude 11000 m) >m2 altitude 100 m).

Practical ceiling 18,500 meters.

Combat radius (high, low, high, with plug-in) > 1000 km.

Low Low Low, with plug-in) >500 km.

Climb time (from brake release to altitude of 10,000 m, with afterburner) < 1 minute and 40 seconds.

The approach speed is about 220 km/h.

Take-off run distance: 400 meters.

Landing run distance 500 meters.

Limit overload +8g