Overview
The Saab 37 Viggen ("Thunderbolt") was a Swedish multirole jet with a canard-delta layout: a small wing near the nose in front of the main delta wing. This let it take off and land on short stretches of ordinary road.
Sweden planned to hide its air force in forests and fly from highways if war came, and the Viggen was built around that idea. It was also one of the first fighters with a thrust reverser, letting it stop in about 500 m. It served from 1971 until 2005. Specifications are for the JA 37 fighter version.
Specifications
Dimensions
| Length | 16.40 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 10.60 m |
| Height | 5.90 m |
| Wing area | 46.0 m² |
Weights & fuel
| Empty weight | 11,800 kg |
|---|---|
| Max. take-off weight | 20,500 kg |
Performance
| Max. speed | 2,231 km/h |
|---|---|
| Max. Mach | Mach 2.10 |
| Combat radius | 1,000 km |
| Service ceiling | 18,000 m |
| Rate of climb | 203.0 m/s |
Crew & capacity
| Crew | 1 |
|---|
Powerplant
| Engines | 1 |
|---|---|
| Engine model | Volvo Flygmotor RM8B |
| Thrust (each) | 72.1 kN |
| Thrust with afterburner (each) | 125.0 kN |
Figures are compiled from public sources and may be approximate; they can vary by variant and configuration.
Armament
- 30 mm Oerlikon KCA cannon (JA 37)
- Skyflash and Sidewinder missiles, rockets and anti-ship missiles
Photos
Photo 1: Per80 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Some text and images come from Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA licences.
