Saab 35 Draken: The Fighter Built For World War III With Russia

[Viet]

Saab 35. Artist Rendering.


Saab 35 Draken – Sweden Had a Cold War Fighter to Be Reckoned With – As Sweden now ponders joining NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is illustrative to examine a Swedish Cold War airplane that was meant to stand up to the Soviets. Sweden was neutral during that era, but its military feared a spill-over effect if the Soviets violated Swedish air space in a menacing manner. Thus, the Saab 35 Draken fighter emerged with an interesting and innovative design.

Saab 35 Draken: The Fighter Built for World War III with Russia

The Saab 35 Draken never faced combat but it likely would have performed well against Russian fighters in a dogfight.

www.19fortyfive.com

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

One of the lesser known features of SAABs fighters since the J-35 Draken is that they need to be able to start take-off within a minute from the word ”go” at high alert.

A story from the Cold War speaks about a J-35 pilot which failed to take off within limits and got a hiding. Next time he was sitting in the aircraft in a hangar, and when the take-off order came, he turned on the afterburner inside the hangar (burning a hole in the wall) and took off on the taxistrip.

 

[Avicenna]

Great video. Enjoy!