Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia


General information
Type	Multirole combat aircraft AJ 37: Fighter bomber SF 37: Photo reconnaissance SH 37: Maritime patrol JA 37: Strike fighter
National origin	Sweden
Manufacturer	Saab AB
Primary user	Swedish Air Force
Number built	329
History
Manufactured	1970–1990
Introduction date	21 June 1971 (AJ 37)
First flight	8 February 1967
Retired	26 June 2007 (SK 37E)

The Saab 37 Viggen (The Tufted Duck, ambiguous with The Thunderbolt) is a single-seat, single-engine multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab. It was the first canard-equipped aircraft to be produced in quantity and the first to carry an airborne digital central computer with integrated circuits for its avionics, arguably making it the most modern/advanced combat aircraft in Europe at the time of introduction. The digital central computer was the first of its kind in the world, automating and taking over tasks previously requiring a navigator/copilot, facilitating handling in tactical situations where, among other things, high speeds and short decision times determined whether attacks would be successful or not, a system not surpassed until the introduction of the Panavia Tornado into operational service in 1981

Further development

As the initial AJ 37 Viggen was being introduced to service, further variants of the Viggen proceeded to complete development and enter production. In 1972, the first SK 37, an operational trainer variant with a staggered second canopy for an instructor, was delivered to the Swedish Air Force. On 21 May 1973, the first prototype of SF 37 Viggen, a tactical reconnaissance variant featuring a modified nose to accommodate seven sensors, conducted its first flight.

Saab AB Svenska Aeroplan

Saab AB Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget
Saab 37 Viggen (The Tufted Duck, Thunderbolt)

General Info

Crew: 1
Length: 16.4 m (53 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 10.6 m (34 ft 9 in)
Height: 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 46 m² (500 sq ft)

Powerplant

Empty weight: 9,500 kg (20,944 lb) Gross weight: 16,439 kg (36,242 lb) (AJ37 17,000 kg (37,479 lb)) Max takeoff weight: 19,274 kg Powerplant: 1 × Volvo RM8B afterburning turbofan, 72.1 kN (16,200 lbf) thrust dry, 125 kN (28,000 lbf) with afterburner

Performance

Maximum speed: 2,231 km/h (1,386 mph, 1,205 kn) at 36,100 ft (11,003 m)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.1
Ferry range: 1,820 km (1,130 mi, 980 nmi) internal fuel only
Service ceiling: 18,000 m (59,000 ft)

Related development

- Guns: 1 × 30 mm Oerlikon KCA cannon with 125 rounds
- Hardpoints: 9 (three hardpoints under fuselage and three under each wing) with a capacity of 7,000 kg (15,000 lb

Special Links Saab AB Svenska Aeroplan

Links to Youtube & Others

By 1994, the replacement of the Viggen by the later and more advanced Saab JAS 39 Gripen was in progress, the type being progressively phased out as greater numbers of Gripen aircraft were delivered.

Saab 37 Viggen
The Tufted Duck,

Some smaller airlines, including Eastern Airways in the UK, have subsequently acquired 2000s at low cost.

Youtube Link

On 3 April 2008, the first Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C was rolled out and presented to Pakistan Air Force officials during a ceremony in Sweden.

Saab AB Svenska Aeroplan Saab AJ37 Viggen (The Tufted Duck, Thunderbolt)
Manufactured 1970–1990