Saab aircraft: books - history and technology

Saab-Flugzeuge - Verkehrs- und Militärflugzeuge aus Schweden

Nahezu alle europäischen Staaten befassen sich bereits vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg mit der Schaffung nationaler Flugzeugwerke. Doch Flugzeuge können nur mit viel Know-how besser werden und nur wenigen Herstellern gelingen Erfolge - viele müssen aufgeben.
Das flächenmäßig große Land Schweden, mit nur 8,9 Millionen Einwohnern, versorgt sich selbst, um seine Neutralität zu erhalten. Stets zwischen den Konfliktparteien angesiedelt, entwickelt es eine riesige Militärindustrie, deren Produkte sich auch an andere Staaten verkaufen lassen. Der wohl prominenteste Vertreter dieser Industrie ist die Firma Saab, die sich schon sehr früh als bedeutender Flugzeug- und Automobilhersteller etabliert.

Saab 35 Draken

The Saab 35 Draken (""the kite"" in English) was a Swedish fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by SAAB between 1955 and 1974. Draken was a design ahead of its time, producing the revolutionary double-delta wing mainplane configuration. It was also the first fully supersonic aircraft to be deployed in Western Europe.
The Draken was introduced into service with the Swedish Air Force (SAF) on 8 March 1960. Drakens served from 1960 through 2005 and proved their worth in over 640 production aircraft.

This book is the most comprehensive on the Draken yet published in English, with:
- numerous photographs of the aircraft in service, several of which have never been published before;
- walkaround photographs of the preserved aircraft;
- illustrations from contemporary manuals;
- original colour artwork.

Saab AJ 37 Viggen: Flying with the Swedish Air Force (Duke Hawkins)

This beautiful Duke Hawkins photo book extensively presents the Saab AJ 37 Viggen, in service with the Swedish Air Force. Covers all versions: from the AJ-37 fighter to the 2-seat Skoll Viggen, the Recce version, the JA-37 Jagt Viggen and the Stor Viggen for electronic warfare.
The book contains not only action photos, but also many " walkaround" photos that show details of the aircraft from different angles. Chapters on cockpit (single-seater and two-seater), fuselage, armament and maintenance work.

The series "Aircraft in Detail" arose from the collaboration between pilots, aircraft technicians and modellers. This part (No. 7) about the Saab AJ 37 Viggen is illustrated with a large number of very high quality color photos, most of which have never been published before. Some of the air-to-air photos were made especially for this book.

Saab 37 Viggen

The Saab 37 Viggen is a Swedish single-seat, single-engine, short-medium range combat aircraft. Development work on the type was initiated at Saab in 1952 and resulting aircraft performed its first flight on 8 February 1967.
Viggen entered service in 21 June 1971. It was the first canard design produced in quantity.

Several distinct variants of the Viggen were produced to perform the roles of strike fighter (AJ 37), aerial reconnaissance (SF 37), maritime patrol aircraft (SH 37) and a two-seat trainer (SK 37). In the late 1970s, the all-weather fighter-interceptor aircraft JA 37 variant was introduced.
In November 2005, the Viggen was retired from service by the Swedish Air Force.

This book is the most comprehensive on the Viggen yet published in English, with:
- numerous photographs of the aircraft in service, several of which have never been published before;
- walkaround photographs of the preserved aircraft;
- illustrations from contemporary manuals;
- and original color artwork.