What makes this clip unique is that at 06:31 the SK 37E lands, reverses, and takes off in the opposite direction. Quite unusual for a fighter bomber!
The Swedish Air Force Historic Flight (SwAFHF)’s Saab Viggen SK 37E appears in this post’s interesting video, which was taken on August 16, 2019, during the Zigermeet 2019 AirShow at Mollis Air Base, Switzerland.
What makes this video special is that at 06:31 the SK 37E lands, reverses, and takes off in the opposite way. Very uncommon for a bomber fighter!
For its time, the Saab 37 Viggen’s aerodynamic configuration—which combined the main delta wing with delta-shaped canard foreplanes—was very advanced. According to Jan Jørgensen, Anders Nylén, and Peter Liander in their book Saab 37 Viggen – The Ultimate Portfolio, the Viggen’s unconventional design allowed it to achieve the Swedish Air Force’s requirements for high altitude Mach 2+ speed and 500 m runway operation.
To minimize the landing distance, Saab created an integrated thrust reverser within the rear fuselage, which is now the only one of its kind on single-engine aircraft. After burning the turbofan, the Volvo Flygmotor RM8A/B powered the Viggen.
The trainer variant of the Virgen was known as the SK 37. The Skol-Viggen’s unique configuration of two different canopies was achieved by simply installing an additional cockpit behind the Viggen’s single-seat cockpit.
The Swedish Air Force undertook a major modification effort from 1998 to 2000 in order to transform 10 SK 37s into SK 37E Electronic Warfare aggressors, replacing the J 32E Lansen that had been withdrawn a few years before. Jammer-Viggen became the name used to denote the SK 37E version.
Photo by Finn Aviation Photography
