Swedish Javelins

[Spinners 15,986]

Gloster Javelin J36A - F21 Luleå, Flyvapnet, 1960

 

By 1949 it could be seen that bombers would soon be flying at Mach 0.9 at altitudes exceeding 10,000 metres or more and that subsonic fighters were going to find intercepting such aircraft very hard indeed. Therefore the Swedish Air Board issued a challenging draft specification called Project 1250 for a supersonic interceptor capable of being operated from existing Swedish runways and also from a planned network of dispersed emergency wartime bases utilising sections of the Swedish road system. Erik Bratt, Chief Designer at Saab, and his small design team at Linköping studied the requirement and by 1951 their studies had led them to a technically brilliant 'double-delta' design where all the essential components required to fulfill the mission (radar, avionics, pilot, engines, intakes, undercarriage and fuel) were arranged in an optimal nose to tail configuration and then the outline shape was chosen. This optimal packaging saw the fuel and main gears migrate to the wings which, to preserve the required thickness-chord ratio of 5% for supersonic flight, were elongated from nose to tail to provide sufficient volume and to house simple inlet ducts feeding an axial-flow turbojet engine. 

 

In March 1952 the specification was finalised and development was authorised by the Swedish Air Board and designated as the Type 35 Draken. However, the necessity to first prove the handling characteristics of the futuristic design by building and flying the half-scale Model 210 and then the forecast development time of the advanced Type 35 airframe and integtated weapon systems made an in-service date of 1956 look highly unlikely and Saab indicated that 1959 was more realistic. This quickly led the Swedish Air Board to issue an additional requirement for an interim 'off-the-shelf' interceptor to fill the gap from 1956 to 1959. 

 

Meanwhile, in Britain, the official production order for the Gloster Javelin had recently been issued and the Javelin's 'super priority' status and adoption by the United States Air Force (who purchased a number of aircraft for the RAF as part of the Mutual Defense Aid Program) led the Swedish Air Board to consider the Javelin as being the best available choice and the purchase of 72 Javelin Mk.50's was authorised with the aircraft designated as the Type 36. The Sapphire engines of the British Javelins were replaced by the Svenska Flygmotor RM5, a version of the Rolls-Royce Avon already being produced under licence by Svenska Flygmotor to power the Saab A32 Lansen, and these engines gave a useful improvement in performance.

 

Entering Flygvapnet service in April 1957 as the J36A, the Swedish Javelins were initially armed with 4 x 30 mm ADEN cannons but also introduced the Rb22 (a licence-built version of the British Firestreak missile) and the much superior Rb25 (a licence-built version of the British Red Top). The aircraft was largely replaced by the far superior Saab Draken during the mid-1960's although one wing remained in service until 1974. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gloster Javelin J36A - F13 Norrköping, Flygvapnet, 1965

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gloster Javelin J36A - F7 Såtenäs, Flygvapnet, 1974

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 1, 2015 by Spinners

[Stratos 3,192]

Good one, and Happy New Year!!

[Spinners 15,986]

Good one, and Happy New Year!!

Thank you and a Happy New Year to you too!

[Spinners 15,986]

Gloster Javelin J36A - F7 Såtenäs, Flygvapnet, 1974

 

 

 

 

 

[Spinners 15,986]

Gloster Javelin A36C - F11 Nyköping, Flygvapnet 1970

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stratos 3,192]

You're in Javelin mood isn't it? Anyway the Gloster masterpiece look pretty cool in Swedish clothes.