Fighter Jets
Saab J-29 Tunnan
ICAO: SB29
Overview
The Saab 37 Viggen was a single-engine, single-seat combat aircraft built for the Swedish Air Force. The AJ 37 attack version entered service in 1971, and the family grew to include fighter, reconnaissance and trainer versions. A total of 329 were built, and none were exported. The last front-line Viggen retired on 25 November 2005.
Live Fleet Activity (SB37)
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Specifications
Units
- Engine
- 1 × Volvo RM 8B afterburning turbofan
- Engine type
- Turbofan
- Thrust
- 28,110 lbf · 125 kN
- Avionics
- Saab CK 37, Ericsson PS 37 X-band monopulse radar, Decca Type 72 Doppler navigation radar, Garrett AiResearch digital Central Air Data Computer, etc.
- Wing tips
- No winglets
- Seats
- 1
- Crew
- —
- Cabin width
- —
- Cabin height
- —
- Cabin length
- —
- Exterior length
- 53 ft 10 in · 16.40 m
- Tail height
- 19 ft 4 in · 5.90 m
- Fuselage diameter
- 8 ft 2 in · 2.50 m
- Wing span
- 34 ft 9 in · 10.60 m
- Baggage volume
- —
- Gross weight
- —
- Empty weight
- —
- Max takeoff weight
- 49,600 lb · 22,500 kg
- Max landing weight
- —
- Max payload
- 7,950 lb · 3,600 kg
- Fuel capacity
- 1,510 gal · 5,700 L · 4,600 kg (Jet A)
- Maximum speed
- 1,205 kt · 1,387 mph · 2,232 km/h
- Cruise speed
- —
- Approach speed
- 119 kt · 137 mph · 220 km/h
- Range
- 1,100 nm · 1,270 mi · 2,040 km
- Fuel burn
- 0.48 nm/gal · 0.23 km/L
- Ceiling
- 60,000 ft · 18,300 m
- Rate of climb
- 40,026 ft/min · 203 m/s
- Takeoff distance
- —
- Landing distance
- —
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Operational Context
Table of Contents
What the Saab Viggen Was
The Saab 37 Viggen (Swedish for “thunderbolt”) was a single-engine, single-seat combat aircraft built for the Swedish Air Force. Its first flight was on 8 February 1967.
The AJ 37 attack version entered service in 1971. Saab built 329 Viggens in total between 1970 and 1990, and Sweden was the only operator.
The specification table for the aircraft is on this page. The sections below explain what the numbers do not.
Why It Looked So Strange
The Viggen combined a delta wing with a second set of small wings, called canards, mounted behind the air intakes. The canards carry flaps, which let the aircraft generate lift at the very low speeds needed for short landings.
Its engine, the Volvo RM8, is described as the first fitted with both an afterburner and a thrust reverser. The reverser let the Viggen stop quickly after touchdown, so it did not need a long runway.
Flying From Roads
Sweden planned to fight a war with its main airfields destroyed. The Bas 60 system spread aircraft across many wartime bases, including stretches of public road used as runways.
A later system, Bas 90, included 800 m runways. The Viggen was designed around a 500 m runway requirement, and conscript ground crews were trained to turn the aircraft around quickly at dispersed sites.
Viggen Variants
The Viggen family was built in several versions, each with a different job.
- AJ 37: the first production attack version, with 108 built. 48 were later upgraded to AJS 37.
- SF 37 and SH 37: reconnaissance versions for photo and maritime missions, with 28 and 27 built respectively.
- SK 37: a two-seat trainer, with 17 built. Ten were converted to the SK 37E electronic-warfare trainer.
- JA 37: the fighter version, which first flew in 1974 and entered service in 1979. It carried a 30 mm cannon.
The AJ 37 on this page was the attack version. It was designed for strike missions with anti-ship missiles, rockets and bombs.
Explaining the Numbers
Weight figures for the Viggen vary a lot between sources, because the Swedish Air Force released little weight data for a long time. Published values also differ by variant and by loadout.
The same goes for range. Published figures differ between Wikipedia, which gives a ferry range on internal fuel, and the ICAO type database, which gives a maximum range. Neither is a combat radius.
The top speed is Mach 2.1 at 36,100 ft (11,003 m), a figure published for the JA 37 fighter. The attack version was optimized for low-level strike rather than speed.
Why Nobody Else Bought It
Saab marketed the Viggen in Europe and developing countries in the 1970s but made no export sales. An export version, the 37E, lost the US Air Combat Fighter competition to the YF-16, announced on 13 January 1975.
A 1978 Indian deal was blocked when the US refused an export licence for the engine, and India chose the SEPECAT Jaguar instead. An Australian proposal lost out to the F/A-18 Hornet.
Retirement and Survivors
The JAS 39 Gripen began replacing the Viggen from 1994. The last front-line Viggen was retired on 25 November 2005, and the type’s last flight was in June 2007.
Two Viggens have been restored to flying condition by the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight: an AJS 37 (SE-DXN) and an SK 37E (SE-DXO). Others sit in museums, including in Paris, Tartu in Estonia and Kraków in Poland.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Viggen still in use?
No. The last front-line Viggen was retired on 25 November 2005, and the final flight was in June 2007. A small number are kept flying by the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight for displays.
Who flew the Saab Viggen?
Only the Swedish Air Force. Saab tried to sell it abroad in the 1970s but never won an export order.
How many Saab Viggens were built?
Saab built 329 Viggens between 1970 and 1990.
What replaced the Viggen?
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen, which began replacing it from 1994.
Is the Saab Viggen a car or a jet?
Both exist. The Viggen on this page is the fighter jet. Saab also sold a 9-3 Viggen car, a performance model that borrowed the jet’s name.
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.