Svenska Aeroplane AB founded at Trollhatan 1937 to
develop and build military aircraft. In 1939 amalgamated
with Aircraft Division of Svenska Jarnvagsverkstaderna
(q.v.) and moved main establishment to Linkoping. From
1950 acquired other important facilities, including underground
factory at Linkoping. Name changed to Saab
Aktiebolag May 1965; Malmo Flygindustri (q.v.) became
a subsidiary in 1967; in 1968
17
merged with Scania-Vabis
group to became Saab-Scania. Current name Saab Group,
comprising five main divisions: Saab AB, Saab Dynamics
AB for guided weapons and electronics, Saab Training Systems
AB, Saab Aircraft AB for marketing and supporting
commercial aircraft, and Saab Combitech AB. Saab AB
parent division established January 1997 to combine activities
of previous Saab Military Aircraft, Saab Aircraft and
Saab Service Partner, and develops and manufactures military
and commercial aircraft within business units known
as Gripen, General Military
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Aircraft, Future Products and
Technology, Operations Commercial Aircraft, and Collaborative
Programs.
First airplanes were license-built Junkers Ju 86K twin-engined
bombers, Northrop-Douglas dive-bombers and
North American trainers. First own-design production aircraft
was Saab 17 dive-bomber of 1940, used widely and
60 delivered to Ethiopia from 1947. Saab 18 was twin-engined
bomber of 1942, some late examples of which
had ejection seats. Saab 21A of 1943 was piston-engined
single-seat fighter, and 21 -R was jet development of the
same aircraft. Saab 29
29 "Tunnan"
was the so-called "flying barrel"
swept-wing jet fighter, in production until 1956, while Saab
32 Lansen of 1952 was swept-wing fighter/attack/reconnaissance
two-seater. Saab 35 Draken "double-delta"
fighter appeared in 1955, and a squadron remained active
as interceptors until 1999. Saab 105 of 1963, a twin-jet
light side-by-side two-seater armed multipurpose aircraft,
still in use as a trainer in 1999; Swedish Air Force aircraft
have just undergone an upgrade with new engines and
thus redesignated Sk 60W. Saab 37
35 "Draken"
Viggen multirole
combat aircraft, first flown February 1967, has foreplane
and delta wings, and with its STOL capability remains
a very potent weapon system. Produced for service
between 1971 and 1990, it has been continuously
upgraded; redelivered in latest upgraded form 1998 for
continued service in JA 37 interceptor and AJS 37
attack/interceptor/maritime-reconnaissance variants.
Latest combat aircraft is Saab AB Gripen JAS 39 Gripen,
first flown December 1988 and taken into Swedish Air Force service from 1996. Grippen
37 "Viggen"
is the world's first
combat aircraft of the new-generation type and the first
to combine the roles of interceptor, attack, and reconnaissance
in a single aircraft (all as primary roles) by the
adoption of push-button control to select the required function
in the computer programs of the totally integrated
avionics suite.
Civil types have included Saab 90 Scandia twin-engined
32-passenger transport (first flown November 1946); Saab
91 Safir all-metal 3/4-seater (first flown November 1945);
two/three-seat high-wing Safari (first flown
39 "Gripen"
in July 1969)
and its military Supporter development (first flown 1972).
In production until 1999 has been the Saab 340 turboprop
regional transport (first flown January 1983, and
finally produced in 340B and BPIus variants with accommodation
for up to 37 passengers) and the Saab 2000
50/58-seat turboprop regional airliner (first flown March
1992). Saab has also developed an airborne early warning
and control variant of the 340B airliner as the S100B
Argus (first flight of AEW&C prototype with overfuseiage
radar July 1994), plus a search-and-rescue variant for the
Japanese Maritime Safety Agency as the SAR-200 (delivered
1997).
