J 35 Draken
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| J 35 Draken | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Austrian Air Force Draken in a special paint scheme | |
| Type | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | SAAB |
| Maiden flight | 25 October 1955 |
| Introduced | 8 March 1960 |
| Retired | 1993 Denmark 1999 Swedish Air Force 2000 Finland 2005 Austria |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | Swedish Air Force Austria Denmark Finland |
| Produced | 1955 - 1974 |
| Number built | 644[1] |
The Saab J 35 Draken (the word 'Draken' here is referring to a Kite, but it's also the same as Dragon in Swedish) or Saab 35 is a Swedish fighter aircraft manufactured by Saab between 1955 and 1974. The Draken was built to replace the Saab J 29 Tunnan and, later, the fighter variant (J 32B) of the Saab Lansen.
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[edit] Design and development
As the jet era started, Sweden forsaw the need for a jet fighter that could intercept bombers at high altitude and also take on fighters. Although other interceptors such as the US Air Force's F-104 Starfighter were being conceived during the the same period, the Saab "Draken" would have to undertake a combat role unique to Sweden. Other demanding requirements were the capability to able to operate from public roads, used as temporary airfields and for refueling/rearming to be carried out in no more than 10 minutes, even by conscripts with minimum training. In September 1949, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration issued a request for a fighter/interceptor aircraft, and work began at Saab the same year.
The Draken's design incorporated a distinctive "double-delta" configuration, with one delta wing within another larger delta. The inner wing has an 80° angle for high speed performance, while the outer 60° wing gives good performance at low speeds. Propulsion was provided by a single Svenska Flygmotor RM6B/C turbojet (Rolls-Royce Avon 200/300). A ram turbine, under the nose, provided emergency power and the engine had a built-in emergency starter unit. The Draken had to employ a drag chute to reduce its landing speed.
The double-delta shape was so revolutionary that it warranted the only sub-scale test aircraft built in Sweden in order to test the concept of the double delta: the Saab 210, nick-named "Lilldraken." The Saab 210 first flew on 21 January 1952; its success led to an order for three full-size prototypes. The first prototype, not fitted with an afterburner, made its maiden flight on 25 October 1955. The second prototype, equipped with an afterburner, unintentionally broke the sound barrier while climbing on its first flight.[1]
[edit] Operational service
Although not designed to be a dogfighter, the J 35 Draken proved to have good instantaneous turn capability and was a very capable fighter. It entered service in 1960 with the Swedish Air Force; 644 Saab Drakens were built for Sweden as well as other European nations. Sweden's Draken fleet came in six different variants while two Draken models were offered for export. The early models were intended purely for air-defense, but the J35D introduced a ground attack capability. The last model built was the J 35F, the final variant to remain in Swedish service. These aircraft have now been retired and replaced by the Saab Gripen.
The J 35 Draken underwent several upgrades. The last was the J 35J version, in the late 1980s. By then, it had been almost totally replaced by Saab Viggen in Swedish service. The J 35J was a service life extension program since the delivery of the new Saab Gripen was still in the development stage and suffering from delivery delays. The extension program was to keep the Draken flying into the 2000s, but due to cutbacks and high maintenance costs the Draken was eventually phased out. The Swedish Drakens were officially retired in December 1998, although the type remains in limited numbers in both military and civilian versions. Export customers included Denmark and Finland. In 1985, the Austrian Air Force purchased 24 Saab-Scania reconditioned Drakens.
All Drakens are interceptors with limited air to ground capability, with the sole exception of the Danish Drakens, which are strike aircraft capable of carrying AGM-12 Bullpup missiles, advanced jammers, and increased internal and external fuel stores. The Danish Drakens are so far the heaviest of the series to have been in service.
Danish F-35 aircraft were retired in 1993. Finland updated its J 35X fleet with new avionics, cockpit displays, navigational/attack systems and electronic countermeasures during the 1990s but finally retired the Draken in 2000. Austria was the last country to operate the Draken in military service, and these were retired in 2005, when they were replaced by Swiss Tiger IIs, while waiting for its Eurofighters. In the United States, the National Test Pilot School (NTPS) owns six Drakens that were formerly in Danish service; of these, two Sk 35XDs and one S 35XD are operational, based at the Mojave Spaceport.
[edit] Draken Variants
- J 35A - First production variant not all delivered with radar some modified to carry IR seekers.
- J 35B - Redesigned engine exhaust, the first Draken to carry AA rocket pods
- SK 35C - Two seater trainer, the last version to use the Avon 200 or RM 6BS turbojet engine.
- J 35D - The fastest Draken version, the fuel ran out before it stopped accelerating. The first Draken to use the Avon 300 or RM 6C turbojet engine.
- S 35E - Unarmed reconnaissance version. Cameras replaced radar in nose and cannon in wings.
- J 35F - The first version to be fitted with radar guided AA missiles. One 30mm cannon replaced by electronics.
- J 35F2 - Upgraded version fitted with an IR seeker.
- J 35J - Updated variant of the J 35F2, the main external difference is the two sidewinder pylons under the air intakes. Originally designated J 35F Mod or J 35F-Ny .
- SAAB 35H - Purposed export version for the Swiss Air Force, never sold or delivered to Switzerland.
- SAAB 35XD - Danish export versions. F-35 (A 35XD) single-seat fighter, TF-35 (Sk 35XD) two-seat trainer and RF-35 (S 35XD) reconnaissance aircraft.
- SAAB 35XS - Fighter version for the Finnish Air Force. Built under licence by Valmet in Finland.
- SAAB 35BS - Used J 35Bs sold to Finland
- SAAB 35DS - Used J 35Ds sold to Finland
- SAAB 35CS - Used SK 35Cs sold to Finland
- SAAB 35OE - Modified J 35Ds sold to Austria
The total number of Drakens produced and delivered: 644.[1]
[edit] Operators
Withdrawn from military use. Several aircraft flown in the civil circuit.
[edit] Former Operators
[edit] Specifications (J 35F Draken)
Data from The Great Book of Fighters[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 15.34 m (50 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 9.42 m (30 ft 10 in)
- Height: 3.89 m (12 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 49.22 m² (529.82 ft²)
- Empty weight: 7,865 kg (17,340 lb)
- Loaded weight: 11,400 kg (25,132 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 16,000 kg (35,273 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Volvo Flygmotor RM6C afterburning turbojet
- Dry thrust: 56.5 kN (12,787 lbf)
- Thrust with afterburner: 78.4 kN (17,637 lbf)
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 2+[1], 2,120 km/h (1,317 mph) at 11,000 m (36,100 ft)
- Range: 3,250 km (2,020 mi) with external drop tanks
- Service ceiling: 20,000 m (65,600 ft)
- Rate of climb: 175 m/s (34,450 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 231.6 kg/m² (47.4 lb/ft²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.70
- Takeoff roll: 650 m (2,133 ft)
Armament
- 1x 30 mm M-55 ADEN cannon with 100 rounds (2x 30 mm M-55 ADEN cannon with 90 rounds each in earlier models)
- Four hardpoints for either fuel tanks or air-to-air missiles
- Rb 24, Rb 27 and Rb 28 air-to-air missiles
- 75 mm rocket pods
- 135mm rockets
- 55, 220, 500, and 1,000 pound bombs
- Maximum ordnance 2,900 kg (6,393 lb)
[edit] Reference
- ^ a b c d Erichs, Rolph, Hammerich, Kai, Rapp, Gudmund, et. al. (1987). The Saab-Scania Story. Stockholm: Streiffert & Co.. ISBN 91-7886-014-8.
- ^ Green, W., Swanborough, G. (2001). The Great Book of Fighters. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing. ISBN 0-7603-1194-3.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- http://fly.to/draken/
- http://www.paffalcons.com
- http://www.vectorsite.net/avj35.html
- http://www.warbirdalley.com/draken.htm
- http://www.doppeladler.com/oebh/luftfahrzeuge/draken.htm (english&german)
