The Bizarre Airplane Design That Shook Up Aviation

[@edgeblur]

My favorite jet ever. My father worked at SAAB in Linköping, Sweden as an engineer in the 1950-60s. I grew up in the next town over Norrköping, that is mentioned. F13, the airbase, is now gone and that area has been used many times for large rock festivals. Remember how they flew low over our house, tearing the sky apart with the sound. My mom hated it, me as a kid thought it was pretty cool.

[@Fenrir.Gleipnir]

Jaha vart bor du då? Jag bor på Kungsgatan. Jag har fina minnen ifrån F-13 jag förlorade oskulden i en militärbil där på fältet bodde granne med f-13 och vi hade ett hål i staketet snön in ofta tills vännen blev tagen av polisen dock roliga tider.

[@em1osmurf]

here, there be dragons!

[@Steven-p4j]

Yeah, Mums are not cool with the very things that excite boys. Noise and explosions, HAH.

[@matsv201]

When i grew up Draken and Viggen often had mock dogfights over where i live where airplanes from Ängelholm and Ljungbyhed was fighting each other

[@charleshultquist9233]

@@matsv201 They made the windows rattle on Hallandsåsen ;-)

[@michaelpowell3980]

a mid-50s all-weather mach 2 interceptor that could operate off rough strips and be serviced by average conscripts... and it still looks futuristic!

[@kathymeinberg191]

It gets even better. I recall reading that, if an engine like today's F119-PW-100 had been available when the sexy Swede took flight, the design would have been capable of supercruise performance.

[@Merecir]

It even had an analog early version of a data-link system. It was hidden as a regular clock on the dashboard, but could show various coded messages sent over radio.

[@alainbellemare2168]

And cup holders

[@toolthoughts]

Iconic. I've had the pleasure of seeing these at airshows, and the plane still leaves an impression.

[@pliashmuldba]

As a kid i saw these in the skies over Denmark, Some AFB still have one for display at the gate.

[@mr_kingpin4835]

​@@pliashmuldba Karup airbase, right? I sadly wasnt alive when they were still in service, but my dad worked on the drakens there for a long time.

[@akyhne]

They were insanely loud. I once experienced them at the airshow in Skrydstrup (Denmark), where they came from behind the crowd, at over mach one. I knew that they would be coming from the airshow program, but not from where. But I was one of the lucky few, who discovered them in time, and covered my ears. They were maybe only 3-400 meters above us, so people jumped, at the bang. This could never happen today, of course. Mach one and beyond over labd, was banned a few years later.

[@pliashmuldba]

@@akyhne Typical Denmark, ban / outlaw any kind of fun, we are a far cry from our Viking ancestors today.

[@mr_kingpin4835]

@Jens Nobel Actually no, Denmark no longer fly the draken at any shows. They currently have 2 drakens at shelter 152 that can indeed fly, however are not allowed to. They are only present on the ground at shows.

[@Kommunisator]

The "little dragon" mentioned in the video is actually on display at the swedish Flygvapenmuseum in Linköping. There are always staff on hand which can explain fascinating details about the aircraft on display there to you. Even the little one is not a "hodgepodge" like some experimental designs, but a fully capable and fleshed out aircraft in its own right, and has served lots of flight hours in the development of the Draken.

[@philsspace69]

Är det den som hänger i taket?

[@Sneckit]

@@philsspace69 I taket i högra hangaren hänger en vanlig draken. Lilldraken var med i gamla utställningen som nu renoveras.

[@philsspace69]

@@Sneckit Aha! Tack för svar! 🙂

[@liukang3545]

@@Sneckit Nice visste jag ej, tackar

[@1982valeriu]

Ooh am visiting Norkkoping for a conference in a month, so the museum in Linkoping is my top priority, forget about conference or meatballs 😅

[@azynkron]

This plane still looks state of the art and beautiful. Many fighters looks obsolete, such as the F4 e.g., but this looks just as cutting edge as when it came out.

[@michaelegan6092]

I think that a lot of Swedens incredible succes,in many different spheres, is due to the engineers being left to get on with the work and not interfered with by burocracy. Wonderful thinkers, I admire them.

[@johnstuartsmith]

Sweden's population isn't much bigger than that of Los Angeles county, but they have consistenly turned out many well-trained and creative engineers.

[@kondirecs]

It's a common scandinavian thing. We just care, for what we do.

[@finntastique3891]

Back in the early 1980s, we were having physical exercise at school, playing soccer. Suddenly a mighty roar was heard from the sky straight above the playing field. The game ended right then and everybody just stood silently watching a pair of J-35s at some 300 meters of altitude, flying in formation on approach to Helsinki-Vantaa (EFHK) airport. It was a mighty sight.

[@AgentLoneWolf73]

LUCKY

[@biggggboi123]

I was 8 years old when I got my first model to build. It was a Draken. I was hooked on that plane. Even now, almost 30 years on I get goosebumps when I see it.

[@travisash8180]

Maybe you should go to the doctors ?

[@BaddaBigBoom]

Airfix? I remember this kit. When I was about 11 I got the Airfix Saab Viggen.

[@biggggboi123]

@@BaddaBigBoom that's the one...I sucked at it, was 1/144 scale but it was so much fun. Had the old school olive drab camo scheme

[@甘いお茶漬け]

Goosebumps? Do you have like ptsd with the j35 or something?

[@SimondeLisle-au]

Me too! Snap

[@fuzzblightyear145]

The Draken and Viggen were my favourite airfix models as a kid. Such a unique design. Very SAAB

[@marcushillerstrom25]

I loved it when they flew past when I was a kid. And I saw one flying last year at the airshow in Uppsala. Such an iconic airplane. Probably my favourite one, but I also really love the Viggen. Growing up, the ones stationed at Uppsala flew by pretty often until they were replaced by the Viggen. Now a days, you very rarely see a couple of Gripens go buy over the archipelago.

[@Halibrand]

I loved watching drakens and viggens flying over my school yard in northern Uppsala, when the viggens flew the afternoon run they always made turns right above my school and the sound was so loud that class had to be paused for 5-10 min 😁

[@Bruisewillies]

I remember going to an airshow in Sweden while on a Scout exchange trip in 1993 and the Vigggen left such an impression on me. The noise!!!!

[@andersgrassman6583]

That's because after the cold war end, invironmental matters became more prioritized than defence concerns. They aren't allowed to use afterburners in the Stockholm archipelago, hell they're almost not allowed to fly here at all! I know, that the few times they fly over me, they are on intercept an mission - most likely Russian transgressions. I hope they get to fly more, and more often over me! There is a reason we build these! (And I love all of Lansen, Draken, Viggen and Gripen designs.)

[@tor2919]

Of course they aren’t allowed afterburner over cities (unless it’s war). We might enjoy the sound but 99% of people are annoyed. Which is fair enough. Also, what would be the practical use of using afterburner over a city? You aren’t allowed to go supersonic anyway because the shockwave would destroy a lot of things

[@marcushillerstrom25]

@@tor2919 Well, the archipelago isn't a city. It's just lots and lots of little islands near to the coastline. And when they go up to intercept Russian airplanes (or, back in the day, American spy planes) they definitely are allowed to use afterburners.

[@andymartinez767]

The Swedish sure knew how to design and build aircraft, all their models are outstanding

[@christineshotton824]

Not just aircraft. Their designs for everything from infantry anti-tank weapons, to artillery, to submarines have typically been very good.

[@kaboom-zf2bl]

LOL avro arrow .... 10 years earlier ... they didnt build new they rebuilt OLD from another country .... they took all the design concepts from the avro arrow of canada ... and the video presenter misses the fact that no avro arrow ever was a prototype plane ... all were cooke craige design method production run planes ...

[@christineshotton824]

@@kaboom-zf2bl Avro Arrow: first flight 1958 Saab Draken: first flight 1955

[@kaboom-zf2bl]

@@christineshotton824 the arrow was cancelled in 57 .... it first flew in 54 as rl 201 ... and the draaken was in 58 first flight ... after they studied what they could of the arrow ...

[@christineshotton824]

@@kaboom-zf2bl Well, I can believe you, or I can believe the BBC, CBC Canada, and every other online information source which all agree on a March 1958 date for a first flight.

[@desfoley6335]

The Swedes really know how to build unique machines, be they fighter Jets, or Cars, they are always apart and different from the normal conventions. I hadn't heard of the J35 before, it's a beautiful aircraft, with an unbelievable service record. Great video

[@martinlund9524]

Well the story is also that the topspeed is way over mach 2. But the 7000L? is draining so fast that it is more or less impossible to fly faster ;) Visit Aeroseum next to Gothenburg / Göteborg and they have guided tours and many other planes also.

[@chriscunnane1512]

You just keep getting better Dr Dark, in all aspects! I am particularly impressed with Your narrative talent progression. Thank You

[@JTA1961]

Yes...yes... & Yes. Well said.

[@VesaGuardian]

Most of the planes in this video were in the Finnish Air Force livery. Brought back many pleasant memories from those golden years when I was in the army.

[@andriandrason1318]

And Danish.

[@markusr353]

Shame we didn’t buy the Gripen.

[@kristofferhellstrom]

​@@markusr353 Indeed! We could have built and developed gripen together and you wouldn't have been so relyant of the US. Made in the North (nordic)

[@arisaarinen8752]

Indeed. Most of the FiAF Draken footage was part of a winning military movie. I was actually piloting a Draken on some of the aerial sequences. There was a rented photo pod from the Swedish AF under that Draken. Technically the fighter was very reliable and much liked by its pilots. Within the FiAF we only lost one Draken (due to pilot error). Operation with the type 1972-2000! Great aircraft from Sweden.

[@redblade8160]

vesa vartiainen You mean these planes were finished before entering service?

[@lucasokeefe7935]

That first cobra clip is almost terrifying. The way the aircraft pitches up rather slowly but then the deceleration happens so quickly at such high speeds.. If you were chasing that aircraft in a dogfight scenario your first instinct would probably be to pitch up to stay on it, and you'd be half way through doing that before all of a sudden you're completely disintegrated.

[@sub08Angstrom]

Indeed!

[@lancerevell5979]

One of my favorite jet fighter designs! So very cool looking! 👍😎

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

It's not quite as photogenic as the F-104, and nowhere near as good at killing its pilots, either.

[@holeshothunter5544]

Revell made plastic models of airplanes. They weren't very good either.

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

@@holeshothunter5544 Neither were most of the kids building them.

[@norrsken9608]

Thank you for this video. The Saab 35 is a really beautiful aircraft.

[@daveriddell3704]

Uh oh! The Su-27 fan boys are going to hate that it’s not the only plane that can do the cobra nor did it invent it. 🤣

[@robandcheryls]

That’s the first thing I thought, in the first two mins 😂 🇨🇦 Vet

[@one-metallica4156]

🤯 I really thought the Russians had invented that maneuver. Still they deserve some credit for having more planes that can perfect the maneuver.

[@joshfrommilan6130]

@@one-metallica4156 yeah, leave it to the Russians to perfect the art of dumping their energy and becoming an easy target 😂

[@one-metallica4156]

@@joshfrommilan6130 my mistake, I meant the Soviet Union.

[@nirfz]

Have seen Mig29's do it on airshows and i have even seen a german Tornade do it once on an airshow. So in any case they would never be the only ones ;-)

[@gunner678]

A friend of mine who served in the Bundesmarine in the 1980s, proudly showed me the photo of the 'Mig' that buzzed his destroyer in the Baltic. As a former British Army air defender, I was forced to dissappoint him when I informed him that he had actually snapped a Saab Draken. He sagged before my eyes like a pricked balloon lol.

[@wolfganggugelweith8760]

The Saab Draken on the picture first is a Austrian 🇦🇹J-35. It is now in a museum for aircraft history there. I saw those planes very often here. The sound of the turbine sounded really angry like a Dragon (Draken). Greetings from Linz Austria 🇦🇹😎👍💪💙🌻🐺 Europe!

[@Jofe08]

Google mal tulln draken Kreisverkehr ich seh den jeden Tag wenn ich in die Arbeit fahre

[@mrwho30]

Die HTL Eisenstadt - Flugtechnik hatte lange Zeit eine Draken im Hangar stehen. Wurde leider 2022 gegen eine Saab-105 ausgetauscht.

[@Tbonyandsteak]

When Denmark became eurochampions 1992, they painted a Draken the same way but with the Danish flag

[@Marcusinthemix]

Wow, what a great episode, I grew up in the 80-ties in Sweden in one of the cities that were deeply involved in the development and maintenance of both J35 Draken and J37 Viggen and I have such strong memories as a kid watching the sky and seeing these planes in full speed!

[@TheSybermedic]

The Saab Draken and the SR-71 are the two coolest planes of my childhood. I would have loved to see a Draken at an air show here in the states.

[@Triple_J.1]

There were a few being flown by a test pilot school. Might still have one or two in Nevada or something.

[@tor2919]

I know Swedish historic flight brought over the Saab 37 a couple years ago for a show in the US. Perhaps you could convince them to bring their 35 next time! :)

[@johanbergqvist3939]

As a member of a youth organisation called "Flygpojkarna" ( aero-boys) in the mid 70's I often got the opportunity to see J35 start and land at F18 Tullinge south of Stockholm where the Capital fighter defence were stationed. Quite spectacular after sunset, quite a few settings were on the "harsh" side making good use of the spuhr wheels. Now I live right next to that former airbase, discontinued in the 80's and made into a residential area.

[@SwikingSwe]

Aw, sweet F18. I grew up in Tullinge. Sadly I missed the mark. By the time I was born it was closed. But I had a family friend that grew up right beside it during the 60s and those stories were amazing. I did get to see a lot of drag racing though.

[@NygaardBushcraft]

My dad flew the Draken for danish airforce in the 80's and I remember I got a draken model airplane I assembled and painted and - supervised by my dad - added stickers that came with the set. Lots of fond memories of me and my dad spending time with that model set.

[@JTA1961]

Right on...& thanks for sharing.

[@FundyBay66]

Cool, I was lucky enough to visit RDAF Karup in the early 80s and had a flight in the Draken.

[@kristofferhellstrom]

Sound like good memories with your dad. Lovely :)

[@Frankysan]

While the Swedish word Draken can translate into Dragon, the actual inspiration for the name of this aircraft is one of the other meanings of the word, that being Kite. This was chosen based on the shape of the aircraft, resembling a kite.

[@rollozucco209]

nice, in Frisian kiting is called "draakjevliegen"!

[@michaeltempsch5282]

@@rollozucco209 I'd assume direct translations would be drakflygning/kite flying in Swedish/English

[@abrahamedelstein4806]

Yes, but let's be real here, from the moment it flew, everyone knew it was a dragon.

[@TheEsdaniel]

Well , that's not cool

[@rollozucco209]

@@michaeltempsch5282 frisian, german, scandinavian are old german-originated languages

[@rudolfabelin383]

A late friend of mine was head of the aerodynamics for the Saab J35 Draken. That was Åke Anderberg, MS EngPhy.

[@lukasethan6429]

Growing up in Wichita, Ks, around F-4s, F-15s, B-1’s, Beech Starship, Shuttle Transport 747, and many many others, Saab Viggen and Drakens were always my favorite. My first toy jet as a 2-3 year old was a Saab Viggen. It was beautiful, it still catches my eye. The toy also came in handy at 3-4, as I used it’s sharp nosecone to stab my brothers soccer ball and ruin it, because he was a dick. Ahhhh. Memories, 🤣🤣🤣

[@robert4you]

Ah... love between brothers 😂

[@larslarsman]

I was born in Wichita before the end of WW2. My mom ran the IBM punchard parts inventory control at Beechcraft. My dad worked initially at Cessna, then many of them at Cessna including my dad were moved to Boeing to build the B29's.

[@lukasethan6429]

@@larslarsman that’s awesome! My grandma worked at Boeing, Cessna, Beechcraft, and one other during the war. My Dad worked in Boeing Military Special Projects, and I had the luck of working for the same people he did- albeit further up the ladder. I love the history, but that’s all it is now-history. Aviation is on the way out of Wichita, slowly, but out of here day by day. Thanks for sharing that. One thing I’ve learned when I was in aircraft- they don’t make ‘em’ like they used to.

[@finjay21fj]

Heehee wondiful yX-D 😂🏆🥇❤️

[@Bathtubcrocodile]

​@ZaHandle😂 As a dad I approve this.

[@wearetomorrowspast.5617]

Lost count of how many Dragon and Viggen Airfix kits I built as a kid. And as an adult, my 2nd favorite/ best car was a Saab 900. Saab really knew how to build a cool machine.

[@gregmead2967]

I remember making a plastic model of this as a kid in the 1960s. Didn't know much about aeronautics, just thought it was an amazing looking aircraft.

[@Algabatz]

I too had that!

[@robbygaume600]

It's the only 1:78 scale model I ever built as a kid in the 80s. Monogram and Revell didn't make it in 1:48 scale

[@dachautv]

Me too.

[@woodrowsmith3400]

Greg, I built my model in 1974!

[@robert4you]

Same here. I got mine plastic model of Draken (I had Viggen too) in 1979, when I was 10... remember when I built it with that small tube of watery glue... lovely memories 🙂

[@robertkerr4199]

Nifty, SAAB invented the cobra maneuver by accident. Accidental discoveries are the best, first it's "oh s**t, I''m going to die!" then it's, "Awesome! This is the coolest s**t ever!"

[@JTA1961]

A missnake

[@blackhawk7r221]

Serendipity

[@mathiassvensson7911]

The called the maneuver ”The short parry” a fencing term.

[@Triple_J.1]

@@JTA1961 😂

[@pashapasovski5860]

Not Cobra, Cobra lasts for longer than a split second! It's only possible with trust vector jets and is balancing vertically and even moving backwards, like Pugachev does with Sukhoi 27-57

[@LordXelous]

I went to see the lovely example they have at Newark Air Museum, Nottinghamshire, UK. She's a beauty, set up so you can see the starboard win and the cannon within up close, recently painted, a gloriously aerodynamic shape and she looks the fastest in the hangar despite being stark still.

[@thefamousemickey]

I did my military service here in Austria in 2003 at an air force base, when they were still in service. Love the Draken!

[@Whatshisname346]

Took a trip to the Finnish aviation museum recently where they have one on display and a simulator. It’s a beautifully built aircraft especially when compared to the MIG 21 they have there as well.

[@veijo6745]

Yep, but with MIG 21, pilot can make full Cobra ;)

[@neilfleming2787]

this one has just blown my mind. I used to do Airfix kits when I was a kid and I thought this was the Viggen, after looking it up the Viggen was even more strange looking

[@Zmit]

"Der er drøn over Kølvrå" Was the slogan of the neighboring city to the Danish air base hosting one (perhaps two) of the Draken squadrons. It was always a treat, to me, visiting my family in Kølvrå and quite frequently getting to se -and hear! the low altitude fly-over of Drakens, either in solo or formation. I also got to see the (unapproved/illegally) painted Dannebrog Draken saluting the nation's sports fans from the skies.

[@SolidSativa1]

My dad was a weapon specialist at that base. I have lots of great childhood memories of me sitting in that pilot seat while my dad was flicking switches in the nosewheel bay

[@bassobalalaikka5005]

great video at 3:53 a "bandopptakter 2" looks fairly similar to Tandberg model 3 magnetophone, (reel to reel of course) maybe it is an early data recorder of voltage to frequency sensors.

[@claytonbouldin9381]

I always had a place in my heart for delta winged planes. This plane and the Mirage 2000 always impressed me as a kid.

[@williamosborne6866]

The F-106 Delta Dart is still one of the best looking (and performing) aircraft ever.

[@redblade8160]

Clayton Bouldin. You must have a massive heart then. How did you manage to fit these planes inside your heart?

[@slendergollum]

@@redblade8160 You`re like a left(delta)wing comedian. Not funny, not needed

[@redblade8160]

@@slendergollum Did you make that up? I laughed, but it was on the inside.

[@claytonbouldin9381]

@@redblade8160 I parallel park them next to each other!

[@Will-be-free]

I remember these flying over my head as a kid and thought they were awesome. It never occurred to me that they were actually weapons of war.

[@bobthebuilder1360]

Lol how. At the age of 5 i would of been excited. And instantly knew what it was (i was introduced to action movies and halo 1 and 2 way too young😂😂 in 2005 ) so maybe thats how 😂. Damn i just pulled a whole 180 😭😂

[@fredosinsemilla3896]

Your mother was probably a feminist.

[@milanstevic8424]

what did you think they were for? delivering presents?

[@Will-be-free]

@@milanstevic8424 I knew they were for the military, but I didn't have any notion of what a war was.

[@milanstevic8424]

@@Will-be-free I got born in Yugoslavia.

[@spacecase13]

I love this aircraft, it's so Buck Rogers space ship like. Great to see a video all about it.

[@kalleklp7291]

"Draken" actually also means a small kite as the aircraft resembles a kite when looked up or down on. It was pretty spectacular for its time. The Danish airforce also had a bunch of them and the pilots just loved them. As the F16 came into service the Draken was outphased.

[@tor2919]

Aye, it’s a double meaning, but the intended meaning is “dragon”. Just as Viggen means “thunderbolt” you see some obnoxious Swedes translating it to “tufted duck”. Even though Saab and Flygvapnet were very clear that the Viggen was named from the bolts that spring from Thor’s hammer. The Saab 35 is named “dragon”, the 37 is “thunderbolt” and the 39 is “gryphon”. Then you have the “funny” guys using double meaning “kite, duck and arrested”

[@janrabie1890]

There is an amazing museum outside Gothenburg where these planes are on display inside a massive hanger carved out of a mountain. You can actually sit inside the cockpit.

[@ros8737]

Majestic plane. The video mentions Bas 60 (Road bases) and STRIL60 (cold war history of radar data links), which I find are fascinating subject on it’s own.

[@patriciosilvarobalino9832]

Once again you made an excelent video, full of interesting information. Keep on, you rock.

[@jimmyandersson4599]

I remember them when I was young kid, they were incredible noisy but beautiful to see in the sky. 😊👍

[@mclarenscca]

I never even knew about the Draken! The more I watch Dark, the more I learn every day! Thank you!

[@skodbolle]

I have family that serviced Draken's here in Denmark, the were well liked by pilots and service crew alike, and it was a sad day when they were taken out of service

[@tekha1977]

As a Dane and former Air force conscipt the J35 will always have a special place in my heart, even if it was decommisioned before I served. Who can forget the legendary Draken “Danish dynamite 6-1” from 1986 with it’s special livery. Word has it that the young officers who ordered the painting was up for court martial.

[@miguelservetus9534]

The Swedes are great engineers and people. 🇸🇪

[@spanishpeaches2930]

...who unfortunately wrote their own suicide note about 50 years back.

[@LizardCrewSweden]

@@spanishpeaches2930 Can you elaborate on that, please? It's spring. I look through my window and see order and beauty. Either I have a very good window, or I am in dire need of some hard truths.

[@spanishpeaches2930]

@@LizardCrewSweden When they decided that they were too ethnocentric and thought that having a suicidal open door policy to people who had nothing in common with them , no history with them and absolutley no shared culture with them ...was a genuinely good left liberal idea.

[@benghazi4216]

@@LizardCrewSweden He is either an idiot, a traitor or a foreign agent. What he actually means doesn't matter, since it's BS either way.

[@gNeric]

well the last thing i expected to see on a youtube thumbnail is one of our retired drakens in special livery, this beautiful plane is currently exhibited in the military aviation museum in zeltweg, austria.

[@ozenfant_ozn]

absolutely beautiful, iconic design, one of a kind. gotta love the boldness of the swedish engineers. though as an austrian i have somewhat mixed feelings, the Draken was already an oldtimer when we finally got it back in the 80s.

[@JTA1961]

Boldness...good choice of words

[@EdMcF1]

On Aircrew Interviews, a Finnish Draken pilot talks about intercepting an RAF Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic. (The Soviets told them to do it, or else they would) and the RAF pilot throttled back to make the Draken overshoot, the pilot responded with a 'kort parad' "cobra" and slowed right down alongside him, and the RAF pilot went on to the common frequency to offer his congratulations at the manoeuvre.

[@Mr.Flemen]

saab is realy good at comming up with clever designs to solve problems or challenges. that goes for the entore company, not just aircrafts. I have had two 1st gen 9-5 sedans. love those cars for the little details like the key down by the handbreake and the nightpanel that makes driving long in the dark so much better.

[@jerrysmith1887]

The 9-5 was a General Motors bastard child POS. The 900 was the last of the real Saabs. You got lucky if you actually had a good 9-5. You would know what a turd they were if you would have owned a 900.

[@JH-lo9ut]

Sorry to tell you that saab aero and saab automobile parted ways long before the 9-5. They were two completely separate companies by then. I believe Saab 9000 was the last of the last car completely designed by Saab automobile before they were acquired by GM, and much of the development was moved from Sweden. With that said, I like the late Saabs too, and they carry along a lot of the design quirks and technical innovations that is typical for the brand. My dad always drove Saabs and I do miss them as a brand. I would very much be interested in something like the 900 but with modern fuel economy, or why not electric.

[@Mr.Flemen]

@@JH-lo9ut right, i forgott about that. But as you said, some of the "design philosophy" stayed after GM acquired Saab automobil.

[@pederfallbom]

​@@JH-lo9ut All development of Saab cars was made in Trollhättan Sverige. Even after GM got ownership.

[@JH-lo9ut]

@@pederfallbom Hey that's great I didn't know that. I heard so much about GM killing the brand and people saying those late models aren't "real Saabs" so I guess I got the facts wrong.

[@gstaraftari]

Please talk slowly and use less conjunctions. Besides that this is the best channel for airplanes!!!

[@wargamingrefugee9065]

Must. Annoy. Viewers.

[@rikulappi9664]

As a kid I fell in love with the Finnish Drakens I occasionally saw training low. At the time Finland operated both Drakens and MIG-21s. Therefore, a training routine must have been a dogfight between those two. I wonder how they compared... Though, knowing our airforce, everything is classified until like year 2172...

[@tapio_m6861]

MIG-21 wasn't a dogfighter. It was all about getting high fast, shooting whatever you had to shoot, and then leaving.

[@edgein3299]

@@tapio_m6861 MIG-21s had many dogfights in the Vietnam war and many other theaters.

[@smokeonthewater5287]

The draken was a very difficult plane to land due to its fixed intake manifold which left it powerless on low speeds. The mig-21 had a variable symmetry intake so it performed optimally at all speeds but with draken the pilots needed to be very careful with landings...

[@KungPisstank]

@@tapio_m6861 Neither was Draken. It's main purpose was also to climb at brutal speeds to intercept and eliminate Russian bombers and then be done, i.e. pretty much the same. Other properties were secondary, though of course higly desirable (fielding multiple designs for different uses was never really an option for a small country like Sweden).

[@terohyvarinen4358]

Lived in Pori, Finland, where the Fighter Squadron 21 was based when I was a child, I saw Drakens, MiG 21s, Fouga Magisters and D. H. Hawks regularly. I really do not know which of these belonged to the squadron, but I cannot remember seeing Drakens and MiG's training together.

[@Jerven88]

Far ahead of it's time. Both the JAS 35 Draken and and JAS 37 Viggen are amazing aircraft

[@nunyabusiness4651]

The Drakken was definitely a design ahead of its time. Some planes are Iconic but this might be the best fighter that any European country ever produced and that's saying a lot!

[@atlet1]

You are probably right. This wast the best fighter in the world at it's time. M2+, super cruise, STOL, high agility, data link, low logistics footprint, made for network centric warfare. It was at least 30 years before it's time.

[@tor2919]

Aye, although I’d put the Mirage up there. French fighters are incredible

[@AgentLoneWolf73]

I agree

[@MattLondon77]

I think I've never seen this much footage of FAF Drakens. Cool!

[@informationcollectionpost3257]

Always like the look and capabilities of the double delta wing. Makes me wonder why more plane manufacturers don't use it.

[@isuzu343]

I think the HAL Tejas is the only modern jet that uses a pure compound tailless delta without canards.

[@thystaff742]

I would assume it was cost in manufacture why it wasn't more popular for use beyond military.

[@Justanotherconsumer]

Leading edge extensions on the F/A-18 are suspiciously similar.

[@chrisrautmann8936]

Changes in computing and fly by wire, along with a canard configuration, made the double delta not as maneuverable. Millenium7 has a number of videos that go over it in rather technical detail.

[@That70sGuitarist]

​@@thystaff742 Actually, the overall manufacturing costs were greatly reduced by the simplicity and practicality of this brilliant design. That's why Sweden (which had a population of roughly five million back then) was able to build 651 of these beauties. They built the forward fuselage and inner wing as a single piece, then bolted on the rear fuselage (which contained the engine, of course) and outer wing panels. Frankly, Sweden couldn't have afforded a more expensive foreign fighter contract back then, so they opted to build the best homegrown fighter their limited tax base could manage, and to everyone else's surprise, it turned out to be a world-beating design thanks to their ingenuity. Canada could learn a great deal from Sweden!😉

[@Buppasiri1]

When I was a kid I saw those come in rotel from missions over the baltic sea. Often in supersonic speeds right over the roofs... The loud bangs always came behind the planes... They operated J35 and J37 at the same time but they were easy to distinguish.

[@tsegulin]

I've always like the look of the SAAB Draken. A particularly attractive fighter that 'just looked right'. It's impressive that a relatively small country like Sweden could develop such competitive, high performance aircraft.

[@oildrag]

If it looks right, it should fly right ! 👍👍

[@peabase]

Simple. They didn't know that they couldn't.

[@barrybend7189]

And has a Macross Delta Variable fighter named after it. In fact it's the *only* variable fighter in Macross named after it's inspiration.

[@alyssinwilliams4570]

I had a metal toy (not a model, but thats all I remember) of this waaaaaaaay back in the early 80s as a kid. I loved it, and it resulted in me loving this fighter

[@randalla915]

I doubt anyone will see this, or care, but the Macross Delta anime series payed homage to the Draken with their Sv-262Hs Draken III variable fighter. It's nice to know that a beautiful design like the J35 looks just as futuristic now as it did when it was unveiled originally.

[@kylehenderson9691]

Oh man, the sense of rejection is palpable at 1:52 😂

[@dancamp6012]

wow that was rude af

[@turdfergusonn4590]

Here’s some GI Joe: A Real American Hero trivia for you: the first plane ever shown being flown by Cobra is the Saab Draken. They even eventually made a toy version in 92, the Cobra Liquidator. Unfortunately they gave it a weird gimmick in a handle that flips down out of the bottom that has a trigger, and the nose is a squirt gun.

[@HephaestusSystems]

Swedish engineering is great. Not afraid to think outside the box and it has always produced impressive performance regardless of the industry

[@stilllearning1160]

Yes. I'm Australian and I'm ashamed at how we have twice the population of Sweden and more resources than you can wish for (certainly more than Sweden and a more pleasant climate and we hardly build anything at all.

[@mvernersson]

Lived close to Ariforce Wing F10 in Ängelholm during my youth. Hearing Draken take off on full afterburner never got old!! ;) J35 Draken was replaced with JAS 39 Gripen shortly before F10 was decommissioned.

[@WillYouVid]

Ferranti, the company that did the air-to-air fire control system that you mention at 2/3 of the video, is a strange company with great beginnings and a shady story and ending that you really could make a video about!

[@richardosman897]

Ferranti

[@FoundAndExplained]

Damn another amazing Dark Skies video!

[@toddwebb6216]

A friend of mine, who drove a SAAB 390EMS was stunned to know that SAAB created jet planes... he smiled as he shifted gears.

[@RoyalMela]

Letters S and A actually mean Swedish Aeroplane (in swedish) and AB is from Aktiebolag aka limited company. Svenska Aeroplan AktieBolag.

[@handlesarefeckinstupid]

Totally different companies though. Toshiba make spacecraft, doesn't mean your cheap radio is a spacecraft.

[@kristofferhellstrom]

hehe :D

[@patrikfloding7985]

@@handlesarefeckinstupid Early SAAB cars were actually made by the same company as SAAB Aircraft. Only later did it split (which made sense), and some aircraft thinking probably stayed in the car company. (I know the SAAB 9-5 had a night driving blackout cockpit feature, which was excellent for improving night vision.)

[@That70sGuitarist]

I have never seen any better proof of the old adage, "if it looks right, it'll fly right," than the SAAB J-35 Drakken. With that sleek, double-delta design and powerful engine, this must be *the* sexiest jet ever built! From its first flight, four years before I was born, to its retirement when I was 40, this beautiful bird turned heads wherever it flew. There just isn't a more beautiful or elegant bird than the Drakken. If I were stinkin' rich, I'd buy myself a Drakken and an F-5-F, then I'd own two of the sexiest jets ever built.😉

[@johanankarback6821]

I remember the J35 from when I was a kid. They literally shook the house when they flew over. They are very loud and makes an awesome sound. Too bad there are so few of them left.

[@Le-Cardinal]

A neighbour of mine had to climb up a tree to retrieve his flag which was blown off the flagpole. He never found the knob at the end of the flagpole.

[@bjorn47]

One of my highlights in the Air Force was getting a salute from an Austrian Draken pilot as he taxied by, visiting F4 Frösön.

[@DrivermanO]

One of my favorite planes - from the 1963 edition of the Observers book of Aircraft, from when I was a kid! And I have to admit to some surprise for this video. Every picture of a plane was relevant, which is highly unusual for this channel! So well done,keep up the good work.

[@hansericsson7058]

As a kid in Sweden in the 70 we learned the difference between Draken and Viggen when they flew over were i lived

[@Kpar512]

I remember seeing this jet in various books when it came out. I thought it was one of the most beautiful fighters ever built.

[@redblade8160]

Kirk Parro. Those planes look clunky.

[@Kpar512]

@@redblade8160 BY modern standards, perhaps, but back in the Sixties, this was a radical design.

[@redblade8160]

@@Kpar512 I saw better looking aircrafts on "Thunderbirds" and that was in the sixties!

[@HelloFellowHooman]

If you've owned a Saab car, you know weird designs are their bread and butter.

[@Soundbrigade]

The engineers at SAAB also constructed cars that were much influenced by the airplane constructions, that is sleek design with extremely low air resistance. On the airplanes generally and also mentioned in the video was the ability to quickly fuel and rearm the jets. Also electronics was built modular and a faulty module could be easily and quickly be replaced within minutes almost. I live very close to one of the airbases and on the way to Lidkoping, 50km away are at least three landingstrips, called “Flygraka” in Swedish, meaning a straight (and wide) stretch for airplanes (and for anyone who wants to reach Mach2 with their cars or MCs).

[@claytonking70]

Yeah and a oil filter that screwed out into the frame. Had to Jack it up to change the oil

[@Southernstar-RHINO]

Ahead of its time. Glorious machine

[@bongodrumzz]

True story, the swedish air force Drakens ran several wargames against NATO air forces, and used the cobra maneuver several times without bothering to mention what was coming. Hilarious times for the swedes, especially against experienced cocky fighter pilots from other nations. A few years later Janes, the incredibly well informed military encyclopaedia, ran a story about this, curiously the red air force started claiming the invention of this without proof, surprise!

[@lacs42]

No not correct.

[@wstavis3135]

​@@lacs42and what exactly is incorrect about it?

[@vimfuego8827]

@@wstavis3135 Use your brain and read ! That is what is incorrect about it 🙄

[@woof3065]

I think the reasoning was "if we create the coolest badass shape, it must be good as well"

[@demacherius1]

In Tulln in Austria we have one of the Draken's on display in one of our roundabouts. Its impressive everytime you drive by it.

[@pinkyellowblue007]

It's one of the most interesting designs, I haven't found much info on it's dogfighting capabilities in books.

[@jtjames79]

I love how retro sci-fi/anime it looks.

[@ILoveFishinginWi]

​@@jtjames79 it looks nothing like anime

[@Tigerhat3r]

@@ILoveFishinginWi fr

[@jtjames79]

@@ILoveFishinginWi Okay anime looks like it. Robotech has a Draken III, it turns into a robot. I just googled it.

[@mathiassvensson7911]

My father was a technical officer on the J35 D, so I grew up with them, they later got the JA37, but the Draken will always be my favourite!

[@runem5429]

I remember, as a child, seeing a Danish Draken at low level turning hard, trying to defend against a Danish F-16 on it's tail during some exercise, made an impression. Always loved the look of that plane.

[@TubeNotMe]

That the old bird could still play well with the much younger F-16 which was designed to be a dogfighting pilot's plane says a lot about what a great design it was.

[@HerbertCappon1]

When can we enjoy the Saab Viggen documentary??? Great Work!!!!

[@JohnJohansen2]

When I was a kid, my country had f104 Starfighter and f-35 Draken in our airforce. When I was around 12, I saw two Draken playing over our lokal fjord. It was amazing to see. They were flying there for several minutes, doing the cobra several times. And other cool stuff. I'll never forget that day. Btw. Back then they still made sonic booms over land.🙂

[@craigpennington1251]

The J-35 Draken is super cool & very capable. One of my favorites.

[@emaheiwa8174]

The coolest looking plane ever ❤ Saab always had unique designs, the Viggen was a sexy MF too 😎👌

[@JTA1961]

Bummer...as their cars looked like something only a "brotha" could love

[@klaspeppar5619]

The most beautiful aircraft ever made, in my opinion.

[@LL-vy5bj]

The correct translation of Draken is in this context "The kite". Drake means both dragon and kite in swedish, and although a lot of swedish people believe the plane to be named after the fictional beast, the engineers that named the plane believed it's odd shape to look like a kite from the ground.

[@baxalasse]

I always thought it looked like a bell 🔔 when it flew over.

[@dwightemery5694]

Beautiful aircraft design. The SAAB car a teacher of mine had was very nice as well and his car always reminded me of this aircraft when I was in college. Nice video... thanks for the video share.

[@LanternOfLiberty]

Air Force Youth (FVRF) 1983-86. Worked manual air observation systems (like Battle of Britain) on weekend and drills. I've reported more Draken, Viggen and Hercules over landline, than I have had hot meals in my whole life (56). 🎶 memories 🎶

[@derekporter7658]

This was always an aeroplane on my to see list,,,,seen it a few times now and still think it's a fantastic design. Well done SAAB.

[@davidmorgan858]

One of the most beautiful and unique planes built. One of my favorites and I always wanted to see one fly.

[@Domsenik22]

By the way the Austrian Drakens did in fact later on use AAMs. Another fun fact is if you pulled to hard on the stick it would hit you back to not get you in a flat spin. Also after some demonstration flights the pilot flew the planes to its max bending the whole airframe.

[@nirfz]

Correct, when the balkan war of the early 90's errupted 2 Mig21 of the former yugoslav air force made it to austria (one landed on a civil airport, and they pilot stayed here and the second one "took a look" and headed back. (the pilot that landed told authorities that they were told by their superiors that austria had attacked them while they were fighting their former countrymen of new/refounded slovenia.) And so the austrian government asked the signing nations of the state treaty to allow AA missiles. To which they agreed and noted that the part about rockets in the treaty was intended for ground to ground missiles (like the V1 and V2 of WW2).

[@nickkorkodylas5005]

Way ahead of its era. Wonder how it would perform if was rebuilt with modern tech.

[@neilmchardy9061]

How the cobra manoeuvre doesn’t stall the compressor is beyond me. There’s a big puff of smoke when it does it.

[@JosephDawson1986]

You have to quickly run the engine power down to idle, Pull the nose up, then drop it and throttle up I would guess. I mean thats how the Cobra maneuver is done in the F14 Tomcat

[@ricdale7813]

That Thing looked like it was out of Battlestar Gallactica but before BattleStar Galactica was even a thing. Bad Ass!

[@WalterGalindo]

I love the Drakken design, it’s still so aesthetically pleasing and alien at the same time

[@kjellg6532]

In fact «Draaken» would be better pronunciation. Long «a» and normal length of «k».