J 22

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

FFVS J 22 was a Swedish fighter aircraft designed by aviation engineer Bo Lundberg.

In the early stages of World War Two, the Swedish government decided to establish domestic military aircraft production on a comparatively large scale. Several projects were launched, including the J 22.

The design work faced many restrictions caused by the wartime shortage of raw materials. All components must be produced in Sweden and no aluminium was permitted. The sole available engine was a Twin Wasp radial engine of French origin, purchased from Germany. The airframe therefore consisted of a steel skeleton covered by a birchwood skin.

The first flight of the prototype took place in September 1942. The aircraft's top speed was surprisingly good, considering its weak engine. Serial production commenced in October 1943 and the first aircraft were assigned to the F9 air wing at Gothenburg, replacing its worn-out Fiat CR.42 fighters.

The J 22 was produced in two variants:

• J 22A with 2 × 7,9 mm machine guns and 2 × 13,2 mm cannons
• J 22B with 4 × 13,2 mm cannons.

The total production run was 141 J 22A and 57 J 22B.

The J 22 was an emergency stop gap measure in times of war, being a mediocre aircraft in all regards. The air force staff was aware of its shortcomings and swiftly moved to purchase a large number of P-51Ds in the spring of 1945. However, the J 22 remained in active service till the end of the 1940s, when it was gradually replaced by de Havilland Vampires. A small number of aircraft were converted to photo reconnaissance duries. Today one J 22 is displayed at the Flygvapenmuseum in Linköping.