The sixty-ninth anniversary of the Saab 35 Draken’s first flight, an event that launched a revolutionary chapter in Swedish military aviation and set new standards in aeronautical design. The Draken, with its iconic double-delta wing and reputation for speed and agility, was conceived in the 1950s—a time when Sweden faced potential Cold War threats as a neutral nation sandwiched between the Western bloc and the Soviet Union.
This aircraft was not only a triumph of engineering but a symbol of Sweden’s commitment to national defense in an era of intense geopolitical tension. Now, as Sweden joins NATO, the Draken’s story holds renewed relevance, highlighting the evolution of Swedish defense policy and technological innovation.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the geopolitical landscape was defined by the Cold War, an ideological conflict between the Western bloc, led by the United States, and the Soviet Union’s Eastern bloc. Sweden, though neutral, was acutely aware of the possibility of conflict spilling over into its territory. Situated near the Soviet Union, the country needed to defend its airspace and maintain its sovereignty.
Recognizing this threat, the Swedish government embarked on a mission to develop an aircraft capable of intercepting Soviet bombers at high altitudes. The aircraft needed to be swift, agile, and capable of operating from unconventional airbases. Enter Saab, the Swedish aerospace company that had already garnered respect for its aeronautical prowess. Saab responded with the Saab 35 Draken—a fighter jet that would set a new benchmark in aviation history.
The Saab 35 Draken was designed with the Swedish Air Force’s unique philosophy in mind. Swedish defense strategy at the time revolved around the “Bas 60” system, which dispersed aircraft across numerous airbases throughout the country. This arrangement aimed to make Swedish air power more resilient by reducing the likelihood of losing its entire air force to a single strike.
Unlike traditional airbases, Sweden’s wartime bases included reinforced highways that doubled as runways. The Draken was, therefore, designed to operate from such roadways, necessitating a compact, maneuverable, and rugged structure. Additionally, the Swedish Air Force required the Draken to be rearmed and refueled by untrained conscripts in under ten minutes, a challenging feat for any military aircraft.
To meet these demands, Saab’s engineers developed a double-delta wing—a revolutionary design that combined a smaller inner delta wing with a larger outer delta wing, optimizing both high-speed performance and low-speed stability. This distinctive configuration allowed the Draken to reach unprecedented altitudes and speeds while maintaining agility in combat scenarios.
One of the Draken’s most iconic features was its double-delta wing. While aircraft had traditionally relied on a single delta or swept-wing configuration, Saab’s double-delta design provided an innovative solution that maximized both stability and maneuverability. The smaller, inner wing was set at an 80-degree angle to allow for high-speed performance, while the larger, outer wing, set at a 60-degree angle, ensured stability at lower speeds.
This distinctive wing shape gave the Draken a sleek, almost stingray-like silhouette, with the body appearing as two seamlessly integrated halves bolted together. Not only did this design make the aircraft one of the most aesthetically pleasing fighters of its time, but it also proved highly functional in terms of aerodynamics.
On October 25, 1955, the Saab 35 Draken took to the skies for the first time, propelled by a license-built Rolls-Royce Avon Mk 21 engine. It was a groundbreaking flight, setting the stage for a new era in European aviation. The Draken would go on to break several records, becoming the first aircraft in Western Europe capable of reaching true supersonic speeds and achieving Mach 2.0. Its design was so advanced that even today, aviation enthusiasts regard it as one of the most beautiful combat aircraft ever built.
Before the Draken’s official prototype took flight, Saab developed a smaller, experimental aircraft known as the Saab 210, or “Lilldraken” (Little Dragon). The Saab 210 was essentially a scaled-down version of the Draken, designed to test the feasibility of the double-delta wing in real-world conditions. Powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Adder jet engine, this experimental aircraft first flew on January 21, 1952, piloted by Bengt Olow.
Though the Lilldraken had a top speed of around 400 mph, it proved to be invaluable in refining the double-delta wing concept. The knowledge gained from the Saab 210’s test flights directly contributed to the development of the full-scale Saab 35 Draken, which was equipped with an afterburner and broke the sound barrier on its very first test flight.
The Saab 35 Draken wasn’t just fast—it was heavily armed. With a payload capacity of nearly 6,400 pounds, the Draken could carry a wide array of weapons, including the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, as well as bombs and rockets stored in an internal weapons bay. Initially conceived as a high-altitude interceptor, the Draken eventually demonstrated remarkable versatility, excelling in air-to-air combat and dogfights at lower altitudes as well.
Despite its lack of a tail, the Draken’s unique wing design allowed it to make sharp turns and rapid maneuvers, a capability that proved invaluable for Swedish pilots. Yet, the lack of a traditional tail occasionally led to a phenomenon known as the “superstar,” or sudden altitude loss. This instability could be so severe that the pilot would be forced to eject, resulting in several tragic accidents. To counteract this, Swedish pilots developed an extraordinary technique known as the “Cobra Maneuver.”
The Cobra Maneuver was a dramatic, high-risk maneuver in which the pilot abruptly raised the aircraft’s nose, bringing it into a nearly vertical position, momentarily creating massive drag. This maneuver caused the Draken to slow sharply, allowing the pilot to regain control. Named after the hood-spreading motion of a cobra, this technique became a testament to the skill of Swedish pilots and the versatility of the Draken airframe.
In the years following the Draken’s introduction, Swedish engineers incorporated numerous improvements, resulting in eight different Draken variants. Each model boasted advancements in avionics, aerodynamics, fuel capacity, and weaponry. Saab also developed four export variants, supplying Drakens to Denmark, Finland, and Austria, each with customized features to suit their respective defense requirements.
More than 600 Saab 35 Drakens were produced, with 51 units exported to Denmark alone. While all Drakens were initially designed as interceptors, the Danish Air Force modified their fleet to serve as strike aircraft. These Danish Drakens were outfitted with AGM-12 Bullpup air-to-ground missiles, electronic countermeasures, and improved fuel storage, enabling them to perform ground-attack missions.
The Draken earned a reputation for reliability and resilience, with Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Austria flying various Draken models over several decades. Austria, in particular, continued using the Draken until 2005, making it one of the longest-serving jets in European military history. Even the United States acquired twelve former Danish Drakens for training purposes, utilizing them in advanced tactical exercises until 2009.
The Draken remained a crucial part of the Swedish Air Force until the 1980s, by which time the Saab JA 37 Viggen, a more advanced multirole fighter, was coming into service. The Viggen eventually replaced the Draken in the Swedish Air Force, but the Draken’s legacy continued. By the 1990s, the Swedish Air Force was looking forward to the arrival of the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, a highly advanced fighter that would further cement Saab’s place in aeronautical history.
In December 1999, Sweden officially retired the Draken, ending nearly half a century of service. Many Drakens were preserved in museums across Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Austria, where they continue to inspire aviation enthusiasts. Several Drakens have also found new lives as privately-owned aircraft, primarily in the United States, where they appear at airshows and fly-ins.
Looking back, the Saab 35 Draken was an audacious leap forward in aircraft design and functionality, embodying Sweden’s commitment to neutrality while ensuring robust defense capabilities. It’s fitting that the Draken, a plane born in the tense environment of the Cold War, lives on today as a piece of aviation history. Its legacy serves as a reminder of the ingenuity and resolve that defined Sweden’s defense strategy during a time when global conflict seemed inevitable.
As Sweden becomes the newest member of NATO, the legacy of the Draken speaks to the evolution of Swedish military policy and technological prowess. The Draken not only fulfilled Sweden’s needs for a versatile and powerful interceptor but also paved the way for future innovations in Swedish aeronautics, a legacy that endures with the Gripen and beyond.
