Saab 37 Viggen

The Saab 37 Viggen (The Tufted Duck; the word also means The Thunderbolt) is a single-seat, single-engine multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab. It was the first canard-equipped aircraft to be produced in quantity and the first to carry an airborne digital central computer with integrated circuits for its avionics, arguably making it the most modern/advanced combat aircraft in Europe at the time of introduction. The digital central computer was the first of its kind in the world, automating and taking over tasks previously requiring a navigator/copilot, facilitating handling in tactical situations where, among other things, high speeds and short decision times determined whether attacks would be successful or not, a system not surpassed until the introduction of the Panavia Tornado into operational service in 1981.

Development work began during the early 1950s to develop a successor to the Saab 32 Lansen in the attack role, as well as to the Saab 35 Draken as a fighter. Saab's design team opted for a relatively radical delta wing configuration, and operation as an integrated weapon system in conjunction with Sweden's STRIL-60 national electronic air defense system. It was also designed to be operated from runways as short as 500 meters. Development work was aided by the "37-annex" under which Sweden could access advanced U.S. aeronautical technology to accelerate both design and production. The aircraft's aerodynamic design was finalised in 1963. The prototype performed its maiden flight on 8 February 1967 and the following year the Swedish government ordered an initial batch of 175 Viggens. The first of these entered service with the Swedish Air Force on 21 June 1971.