Saab 37 Viggen

The Saab 37 Viggen (Swedish for "the Bolt" or "the Tufted Duck") 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.

Development work began during the early 1950s to develop a successor to the Saab 32 Lansen in the attack role, as well as to the Saab 35 Draken as a fighter. Saab's design team opted for a relatively radical delta wing configuration, as well as to produce the aircraft as an integrated weapon system that operated in conjunction with Sweden's STRIL-6 national electronic air defence system. It was also designed to be operated from runways as short as 500 meters. Work was aided by the "37-annex" under which Sweden could access advanced U.S. aeronautical technology to accelerate both design and production. The aircraft's aerodynamic design was finalised in 1963. On 8 February 1967, the prototype performed its maiden flight.

In 1968, the Swedish government ordered an initial batch of 175 Viggens; the aircraft entered service with the Swedish Air Force on 21 June 1971. It was arguably the most modern/advanced combat aircraft in Europe at the time of introduction, featuring an airborne digital central computer with integrated circuits for its avionics, 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.

Even as the initial AJ 37 model entered service, Saab was actively working on further variants of the Viggen. Accordingly, several distinct variants of the Viggen would be produced to perform the roles of fighter bomber/strike fighter (AJ 37), aerial reconnaissance (SF 37), maritime patrol/anti-surface (SH 37) and a two-seat trainer (Sk 37). During the late 1970s, the all-weather interceptor/strike fighter JA 37 variant was introduced. Attempts to export the Viggen to other nations were made but ultimately proved unsuccessful. In November 2005, the last Viggens was withdrawn from service by the Swedish Air Force, its only operator; by this point, it had been replaced by the newer and more advanced Saab JAS 39 Gripen.