(Swedish designation PS-02/A) as the originally planned Swedish radar (PS-03) from LME hadn't been developed in time. The gunsight was an advanced gyro gunsight developed by Saab for both the Saab 32B and Saab 35A called S-6 (later named S-6B). The other two wing hardpoints were for mounting AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missiles (Swedish designation rb 24). 1964.]]

Fighter version designated J 35B (Bertil). 73 aircraft (35201–35273), The J 35B was initially planned to be designated J 35B1, before being renamed to just J 35B in January 1960. This resulted in there being two primary sub-variants of the J 35B historically:

  • J 35B′ – initial day fighter version of the J 35B.

The radar on the J 35B was a Swedish developed radar from LME designated PS-03/A. It was superior and more advanced compared to the French PS-02 used on the J 35A. The gunsight was an advanced radar gunsight developed by Saab for both the J 35B and J 35D called S-7A-2. air-to-air rockets. The rockets were fired from Rakkaps m/57 The SK 35C was initially planned to be designated J 35C, before being renamed to "SK 35C" in January 1960.

Saab 35D (David)

thumb|Saab 35D

Fighter version designated J 35D (David). 120 aircraft (35274–35393)

Due to manufacturing issues, delivery delays occurred for some J 35D subsystems, resulting in that the two initial J 35D series being delivered with only parts of the planned avionics installed.

The Saab 35D base aircraft differed quite a lot compared to previous variants. For one, it was fitted with the much stronger Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.60 Despite having more fuel than its predecessors, the David was the fastest Draken version, capable of accelerating until out of fuel.

In terms of armament and avionics, the J 35D was almost identical to the J 35B. It was fully integrated into the Swedish STRIL 60 system and was also fitted with a 'control data system', allowing the aircraft to receive digital orders from ground control. It also featured the same PS-03/A radar and S-7A-2 radar gunsight as the J 35B. later modified with an Ericsson laser proximity fuze, making it equivalent to the AIM-9P-3. Something noteworthy is that the J 35D was the last Swedish Draken variant fitted with 2 guns.

Saab 35E (Erik)

thumb|Saab 35E

Reconnaissance version of the Saab 35D designated S 35E (Erik). 60 aircraft (35901–35960), The S 35E was initially planned to be designated S 35B2, before being renamed to S 35E in January 1960.

The base aircraft of the Saab 35E was almost identical to the J 35D and featured the same engine and afterburner, The aircraft had 4 primary hardpoints in total for external ordnance, 1 under each wing and 2 on the belly. For long range missions it was possible to mount up to 4 drop tanks on these hardpoints. For night missions it could carry an active infrared reconnaissance pod designed by EG&G and fitted to a belly hardpoint.

Saab 35G (Gustav)

Attacker version designated J 35G (Gustav). 70 aircraft suggested to be converted from J 35Ds but the project was cancelled early on. The aircraft received a longer lifespan, modernized electronics, a modernized cannon, two additional hardpoints under the intakes for extra AIM-9 Sidewinder pylons (balk G, "pylon G") and increased external fuel capacity. The modification took place between 1987 and 1991.

<gallery widths=150 heights=100>

File:Draken no Bunge Flygmuseum 01 (cropped 2).jpg|J 35J with G-pylons under the intakes.

File:Sidewinder nun Draken.jpg|Pylon G (balk G) with an inert rb 24J (AIM-9J/P-3).

File:SAAB J 35 Draken nose (cropped 2).jpg|Hughes N71 IRST tracker (IR-spanare 71N) on the J 35J.

</gallery>

Proposed modifications

Before it was decided to develop the JAS 39 Gripen in the 1970s, studies were undertaken on modification for low flight hour J 35F airframes.

  • 35 MOD Level 1b – Essentially the aircraft that became the J 35J.
  • 35 MOD Level 4 – The most ambitious modification in the program. The proposed modifications were new outer wing, additional weapon stations, RBS 15 capability, the addition of canards by the air intakes for increased maneuverability and maximum take-off weight increased to 15 000&nbsp;kg.

Export variants

Export attempts of the Saab 35 started even before the aircraft had finished development in Sweden. During the late 1950s, Saab would offer the aircraft to, among others, the West German Air Force, the Austrian Air Force and the Swiss Air Force.

Saab 35H (Helvetia)

Saab 35H (Helge) was a proposed export version of the J 35D for the Swiss Air Force in 1958. H stands for Helvetia, Switzerland in Latin. One demonstrator built from the Fpl 35-5 prototype. Competed and lost out against the Dassault Mirage IIIS. None sold or delivered. The trial and procurement of the Mirage III was however faulty, leading to a scandal after severe budget overruns. The Swiss Air Force commander, the chief of the general staff and the minister of defence were forced to resign as a result. During trials the Saab 35H demonstrated a climb rate 20–40% superior to the Mirage III and had a 35% shorter take-off run.

Saab 35X (Export)

Saab 35X (Xerxes) was a series of export variants of the J 35D and J 35F that Saab offered throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. X stands for export. The Saab 35X was offered to Belgium in 1967, Argentina in 1968, Venezuela in 1969, Chile in 1971, Singapore in 1975, Tunisia in 1976 and Malaysia in 1980. However, none of the aforementioned countries purchased the Saab 35 in the end.

Three variants of the Saab 35XD were produced, all with similar ordnance capabilities:

  • F-35 (Saab A 35XD) – single-seat attack version. 20 built
  • RF-35 (Saab S 35XD) – single-seat reconnaissance version with a camera nose similar to the Saab 35E. Could not equip the AGM-12B Bullpup. 20 built
  • TF-35 (Saab SK 35XD) – two-seat trainer aircraft with only one cannon. 11 built (6 initially, 5 later)

<gallery widths=150 heights=70>

File:F-35 Draken.png|F-35 Draken (pre-WDNS)

File:Saab RF-35 Draken, Denmark - Air Force AN1800592 (cropped).jpg|RF-35 Draken (pre-WDNS)

File:Saab TF-35 Draken, Denmark - Air Force AN1846832 (cropped).jpg|TF-35 Draken (pre-WDNS)

</gallery>

<gallery widths=150 heights=70>

File:Saab F-35 Draken, Denmark - Air Force AN0992881 (cropped).jpg|F-35 Draken (post-WDNS)

File:Saab RF-35 Draken, Denmark - Air Force AN1976793 (cropped 2).jpg|RF-35 Draken (post-WDNS)

File:Saab TF-35 Draken, Denmark - Air Force AN1310417 (cropped).jpg|TF-35 Draken (post-WDNS)

</gallery>

Denmark wanted to acquire a third and fourth Saab 35XD squadron (23–46 aircraft) following the initial purchase and prices were handed over 14 August 1970. Negotiations continued during the spring of 1971 and an offer was made on 1 May 1971. The Danish interest focused on a radar by LME called SAX 500, a new navigation system and an effective ordnance amining system, such as the Saab BT-9. However, due to cutbacks of the Danish Air Force made during he winter 1970/1971 (from 7 squadrons to 4) it was not possible to acquire these aircraft.

The Saab 35XD was heavily modified to make it into a fighter bomber aircraft; compared to the Swedish versions the outer wings where completely redesigned and the aircraft featured 9 hardpoints in total. It could carry a wide array of NATO ordnance, such as of NATO bombs, but also Mighty Mouse rockets and AGM-12B Bullpup missiles. For air defence it featured two 30 mm ADEN cannons and could also mount two AIM-9B Sidewinders It lacked a radar and had a counterweight in the nose instead. The Saab 35XD was however fitted with a ballistic computer from Saab called BT-9R.

  • Saab 35FD LÅG ("low") – single-seat attack version for Denmark based on the Saab 35F, with similar capabilities to the early F-35. although for practical use they reused the Swedish designations, but with the prefixes omitted and with an S added at the end (35BS, 35CS, 35FS), with the exception of the Saab 35XS, which was simply named 35S. On rare occasions the DK designation received a third letter to indicate model (DKS for "35S", etc.). As part of the Saab 35-adoption, Finland also bought Swedish produced Falcon missiles, rb 27 (Hughes HM-55) and rb 28 (Hughes HM-58). These were designated 7S and 8S respectively. with the first Saab 35XS assembled by Valmet – DK-201 – being completed on 12 March 1974. The initial flight trials of the Saab 35XS was flown by Swedish Saab test pilot KG Liljeqvist.

<gallery widths=150 heights=100>

File:Saab 35FS Draken DK-223 R-13M Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseo 1.JPG|Soviet R-13M on Finnish DKS.

File:Saab 35FS Draken DK-223 Rb 28 Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseo 1.JPG|"8S" Falcon missile (HAC HM-58) on Finnish DKS.

File:Saab 35FS Draken DK-223 perä Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseo.JPG|Saab BOY 402 countermeasure dispenser on Finnish DKS.

</gallery>

Saab 35XV (Export Venezuela)

Saab 35XV (Xerxes Viktor) was an export variant of the J 35D that Saab offered to Venezuela in 1971. X stands for export and V for Venezuela. Venezuela had shown interest for the Saab 35 since 1966 and in 1971 the Draken was test flown by Venezuela against the French Dassault Mirage III and British English Electric Lightning.

On 23 April 1971, the Venezuelan Air Force made an offer for 3 Saab 35 variants: Since the Austrian Air Force lacks a proper designation system the Saab 35Ö got the name J 35Ö in Austria. The J prefix is a remnant of the Saab J 29F that Austria operated during the 1960s. The Austrians called their Saab 105Ö as J 105Ö for example. Saab re-purchased 24 J 35D aircraft from the Swedish Air Force in the mid-1980s and converted them into the Saab 35Ö version for export to Austria.

The Saab 35Ö was more or less equal to the Saab 35D but featured the updated bird-proof cockpit from the Saab 35F. the Austrian Drakens received an upgrade giving them a radar warning receiver (RWR), chaff and flare countermeasures and the AIM-9P-5 all aspect missile.

Data

Primary source: Widfeldt (1995).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:96%; border-collapse:collapse;"

! !! J 35A1!! J 35A2!! J 35B !! SK 35C !! J 35D !! S 35E !! J 35F !! J 35J

|-

! Cockpit seats

| colspan=3| One

| Two

| colspan=4| One

|-

! Length

||

| colspan=2 |

||

| colspan=4 |

|-

! Wingspan

| colspan=8 |

|-

! Wing area

| colspan=4|

|-

! Tail height

| colspan=4 |

| colspan=4 |

|-

! Radar type

| colspan=2| PS-02/A

| PS-03/A

| –

| PS-03/A

| –

| colspan=2| PS-011/A

|-

! Weapons sight

| colspan=2| 6B

| 7A

| –

| 7A

| –

| colspan=2| 7B

|-

! Empty weight

| colspan=3 |

|

|

|

|

|

|-

! MTOW

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|-

! Maximum speed

| colspan=4 |

| colspan=2 |

| colspan=2 | Mach 2.0

|-

! Runway length<br />requirement (dry)

| colspan=4 |

|

|

| colspan=2 |

|-

! -"-<br />(drag chute)

| colspan=4 |

|

|

| colspan=2 |

|-

! Internal fuel

| colspan=4|

| colspan=4|

|-

! Drop tanks<br />

| colspan=4| 1

| 2

| 4

| 2

| 4

|-

! Internal cannons<br />30&nbsp;mm Aden

| colspan=3| 2

| –

| 2

| –

| colspan=2| 1

|-

! Air-to-air missiles<br />Sidewinder

| colspan=3| 4

| –

| 4

| –

|| 4<br />Falcon-capable

|| 6<br />Falcon-capable

|-

! Air-to-air rockets<br />75&nbsp;mm

| colspan=2| –

|| 2×19

| –

|| 2×19

| –

|| 2×19

|| 4×19

|-

! Engine

| colspan=4| RM6B

| colspan=4| RM6C

|-

! Afterburner

| Ebk 65

| colspan=2| Ebk 66

| Ebk 65

| colspan=4| Ebk 67

|}

Operators

thumb|former Saab 35 Draken Operators in red

thumb|[[Austrian Air Force Draken]]

thumb|[[Finnish Air Force Trainer Draken]]

thumb|Ex-RDAF RF-35XD N217FR operated by the [[National Test Pilot School takes off from the Mojave Spaceport.]]

The Saab 35 Draken was withdrawn from military use in 2005. Several aircraft fly in civilian service, mainly by the National Test Pilot School.

;

  • Austrian Air Force, 24 aircraft:
  • Fliegerregiment 2
  • Staffel 1
  • Staffel 2

;

  • Royal Danish Air Force, 51 aircraft:
  • No. 725 Squadron
  • No. 729 Squadron

;

  • Finnish Air Force, 50 aircraft:
  • Fighter Squadron 11
  • Fighter Squadron 21

;

  • Swedish Air Force

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! !! J 35A !! J 35B !! SK 35C !! J 35D !! S 35E !! J 35F !! J 35J

|-

! F 1<br />Hässlö

| –

| –

| –

| –

| –

| 1966–1983

| –

|-

! F 3<br />Malmslätt

| –

| –

| –

| 1965–1970

| –

| 1970–1973

| –

|-

! F 4<br />Frösön

| –

| –

| –

| 1969–1984

| –

| –

| –

|-

! F 10<br />Ängelholm

| –

| 1966–1976

| 1986–1999

| 1964–1971

| –

| 1969–1991

| 1987–1999

|-

! F 11<br />Nyköping

| –

| –

| –

| –

| 1965–1979

| –

| –

|-

! F 12<br />Kalmar

| –

| –

| –

| –

| –

| 1968–1979

| –

|-

! F 13<br />Norrköping

| 1960–1964

| –

| –

| 1963–1966

| –

| 1965–1978

| –

|-

! F 16<br />Uppsala

| 1961–1976

| 1962–1965

| 1962–1985

| –

| –

| 1976–1985

| –

|-

! F 17<br />Kallinge

| –

| –

| –

| –

| –

| 1972–1982

| –

|-

! F 18<br />Tullinge

| –

| 1962–1973

| –

| –

| –

| –

| –

|-

! F 21<br />Kallax

| –

| –

| –

| 1969–1984

| 1966–1979

| –

| –

|}

;

  • National Test Pilot School (6)

Surviving aircraft

thumb|Saab Draken at [[Växjö Air Show 2012]]

A small number of Drakens are still with civilian owners mainly in the United States, many former-operational aircraft have been preserved in the operating nations.

Specifications (J 35F Draken)

thumb|Saab J 35 Draken 3-view drawing

thumb|Missiles used on the J 35F and J 35J (from left to right)<br>Robot 24B<br>Robot 24J<br>Robot 27<br>Robot 28rb 24B<br>rb 24J<br>rb 27<br>rb 28[[Ford Aerospace|Ford AIM-9B<br>Ford AIM-9J<br>HAC HM-55<br>HAC HM-58]]

See also

Footnotes

Swedish abbreviations

Further reading

Marketing videos

  • The J 35 Draken (English)
  • Falcon-missiles HM-55 / HM-58 intended for aircraft J 35F Draken (English)

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Dorr, Robert F, René J Francillon and Jay Miller. Saab J35 Draken (Aerofax Minigraph no. 12). Arlington, TX: Aerofax, 1987. .
  • Eden, Paul (ed). The Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft. London: Amber Books, 2004. .
  • Erichs, Rolph et al. The Saab-Scania Story. Stockholm: Streiffert & Co., 1988. .
  • Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Great Book of Fighters. St. Paul, MN: MBI Publishing, 2001. .
  • Jørgensen, Jan. Saab 35 Draken: Scandinavian "Cold War" Warrior. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1997. .
  • Laukkanen, Jyrki. "Saab 35 Draken in Finnish Air Force", Suomen Ilmavoimien lentokoneet, osa 3 [Finnish Air Force aircraft, part 3] (in Finnish). Tampere, FI: Apali Oy, 2009. .
  • Peacock, Lindsay. "Saab Draken Variant Briefing". World Air Power Journal, Volume 17, Summer 1994, pp.&nbsp;116–35. London: Aerospace Publishing. . ISSN 0959-7050.
  • "Saab: Sweden's Advanced Combat Aircraft". Flight International, 30 December 1960. pp.&nbsp;1017–1020.
  • Taylor, John WR "Saab 35 Draken." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York: GP Putnam's Sons, 1969. .
  • This Happens in the Swedish Air Force (brochure). Stockholm: Flygstabens informationsavdelning [Information Department of the Air Staff], Swedish Air Force, 1983.
  • Widfeldt, Bo. Draken. Inbunden, Sweden: Air Historic Research AB UB, 1995. .
  • Wilson, Stewart. Combat Aircraft since 1945. Fyshwick, AU: Aerospace Publications, 2000. .
  • Eden, Paul (ed.)Modern Military Aircraft Anatomy. London, UK: Amber Books Ltd, 2007.
  • Extensive information on the Saab 35 Draken
  • Saab J 35 Draken
  • (English & German) Saab J 35 Oe Draken Mk.II
  • Saab J 35 Draken – Free Flying Paper Plane
  • The only flying Saab J 35J Draken (Kite/Dragon) in Swedish colours is operated by heritage flight of the Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force) – 2012.
  • "Saab Draken – In The Air", 1965 Flight