While the aircraft never saw actual combat, it would have likely performed well in its interceptor role against Soviet bombers and more than held its own against the Soviet fighters of the era. The final Saab 35 Draken, in service with the Austrian Air Force, was only retired in 2005 – a testament to its effective design and capabilities.
Draken plane series#
The aircraft went through a series of upgrades, and in total 651 were produced. The aircraft was adopted by the Swedish Air Force and was later exported to Finland, Austria, and Denmark. It was one of the first Western European-built combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in level flight. It is now considered to be one of the most dramatic and demanding maneuvers but is typically only performed at air shows.ĭuring the Cold War, the Saab 35 proved to be an effective supersonic interceptor and capable dogfighter. The tradeoff is higher amounts of drag compared to typical swept-wing aircraft. The first is that delta wings have more internal volume for fuel than conventional wings, and can also be structurally stronger. Recognizable as the large, triangle-shaped wings that are widest at the rear and taper inwards closer to the nose of the plane, these offer numerous benefits. It was a radical design, and the Draken – which translates to “dragon” but was actually meant as “kite” for the shape of the wings – was the first aircraft to successfully employ the double delta wing design. Engineers at Saab had a radical idea for a new all-weather supersonic jet fighter, which was to become the Saab 35 Draken.Īircraft engineer Erik Bratt, along with a team of more than 500 technicians, had arrived at the idea of a unique “double delta” wing shape after studying different ways of packaging the fuel and equipment. The development of such an interceptor began soon after the Second World War, and it was a radical leap forward in aviation technology. The Swedish Air Force has foreseen the need for a jet fighter that could intercept bombers at high altitudes yet also be able to engage fighters.
Saab 35 Draken Was Built to Fight Russia: Following the Second World War, Sweden maintained a policy of neutrality – yet at the same time expected that if war came it would most likely be against the Soviet Union.
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