The Saab 35 was a revolutionary Swedish design that, in contrast to certain common Nordic furniture, was very durable and had a long lifespan. The Saab 35, a novel jet fighter designed by Saab engineers, would have two delta wings.
Large, triangle-shaped wings that are largest at the back and taper inward closer to the plane’s nose are known as Delta wings. There are some advantages to delta wings. In comparison to conventional wings, delta wings often have larger interior space for fuel. Although they incur more drag than traditional swept-wing aircraft, delta wings can also be structurally stronger. After the Second World Conflict, Sweden upheld a neutrality policy but also anticipated that, if war broke out, it would likely be against the Soviet Union.
The Swedish Air Force anticipated the requirement for a jet fighter that could combat fighters while also being able to intercept bombers at high altitudes. Such an interceptor was developed soon after the Second World War, and it represented a significant advancement in aviation technology.
Saab engineers came up with a daring design for the Saab 35 Draken, an all-weather supersonic jet fighter. After researching various methods of storing the fuel and equipment, Erik Bratt, an aircraft engineer, and a group of more than 500 experts conceived the idea of a special “double delta” wing shape.
The Draken, which translated means “dragon” was actually intended to mean “kite” due to the curvature of the wings and was the first successful aircraft to use the double delta wing design. These are easily identified as the broad, triangular wings that are widest at the back and taper inwards closer to the nose of the plane.
The first is that compared to conventional wings, delta wings can be structurally stronger and have greater interior space for fuel. Higher drag compared to ordinary swept-wing aircraft is the trade-off. The Saab-210, a sub-scale test plane that was informally dubbed “Lilldraken” or “little kite,” was first flown in 1952 to establish Saab’s still-unique double-delta wing configuration. The double delta design appeared promising to Bratt and his team after three years of intensive design study.
In the era before modern flight simulations and computer-aided design (CAD), such scale prototypes were required.
The double delta layout was effective. The Saab 210 flew over Stockholm in 1952 to commemorate the city’s founding’s 700th birthday. The double delta was actually rather effective. The Cobra Maneuver, a technically difficult aerobatic show in which a quick lift of the nose forces an airplane to fly forward perpendicular to the ground, was done by Swedish Saab pilots in the early 1960s.
The minute the pilot turns to face the sky, the airframe becomes a massive airbrake, rapidly slowing the aircraft. The Cobra Maneuver proved the Saab 35’s capabilities even though it is not always appropriate to combat situations. It is a sign of excellent maneuverability.
For its day and given that it had only one engine, the Saab 35 was a very capable jet. In addition to air-to-air missiles and one or two 30-millimeter internal cannons, depending on the variant, the fighter had a Mach 2 top speed.
The Saab 35 proved to be a reliable supersonic interceptor and skilled dogfighter during the Cold War. This was one of the first combat aircraft made in Western Europe to surpass Mach 2 in level flight. The aircraft was first used by the Swedish Air Force before being exported to Denmark, Finland, and Austria.
The aircraft underwent several improvements, 651 were made in total. A tribute to the Saab 35 Draken’s efficient design and capabilities is the fact that the last one, which was serving with the Austrian Air Force, was only retired in 2005. Despite never participating in actual combat, the aircraft would have performed admirably in its mission as an interceptor against Soviet bombers and would have easily outperformed Soviet fighters of the time.
Outside of Sweden, the Saab was successful and exported to some of Sweden’s neighbors, including Finland and Denmark. Up until 2009, twelve formerly Danish Saab 35s were operated by the US as training aircraft. Austria also purchased several unique Saab 35s. The Austrian State Treaty restricted Austria from using air-to-air missiles, therefore they equipped their Saabs with internal cannons for air-to-air combat.
In 1993, the prohibition was lifted. The Saab 35 Draken continued in operation in some capacity until the mid-2000s, a run of around fifty years, even though it was eventually superseded by the more powerful Saab 37 Viggen (which also employed a modified delta wing design).