| The Draken in Swedish Service |
The Svenska Flygvapnet took delivery of its operational Drakens on 8 March 1960, when the first J35As were delivered to F13 based at Norrköping.
It took the Wing nearly a year to convert from the Saab J29 Tunnan.
Delivery of J35As ended in 1962, by which time it was in operation with F16 and the Draken Conversion Unit, both based at Uppsala. Twenty-six were later converted into
Sk35C trainers. The trainers were initially delivered to the Draken Conversion Unit, but later they also equipped F10. The Sk35C did not have a radar or weapon capability
and retained the short tailcone.
The Draken's high speed and climb rate were particularly outstanding and necessitated the Swedish Defence Command to review its procedures.
In 1960 Svenska Flygvapnet flight training entailed graduation from the de Havilland J28C Vampire trainer direct to the Draken, which presented
few problems, but a Draken simulator was introduced to cut costs and save time. It also proved valuable when the next variant, the J35B,
entered service with collision course attack capability.
Whilst the Draken was designed from the outset to intercept transonic bombers at all altitudes and in all weathers it could also be used for ground attack.
Sweden had an excellent attack aircraft in the Saab 32 Lansen and there was little need to adapt the Draken as such. Not until Denmark
placed an order was real effort put into a dedicated attack capability.
Deliveries of the more capable J35B began in 1961 to F16 at Uppsala, followed by F18 at Tullinge in 1962; another operator was F10 at Ängelholm-Barkåkra.
It was an early J35B that took the Draken through the Mach 2 barrier in level flight on January 14, 1960, but all versions up to the J35D were fitted with the
RM6B, giving a nominal maximum speed of Mach 1,90.
The definite variant was the J35F, in reality a second generation Draken. What took the J35F to a
much higher level of capability was the introduction of two versions of the Hughes AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile specially adapted to Swedish requirements and
built in Sweden. The first of 230 production examples (35401) made its maiden flight on June 26, 1964. The J35F entered squadron service with
F13 at Norrköping, deliveries commencing in the middle of 1965, and then joined F1, F10, F3, F12, F16 and F17 Wings. Production was completed in mid-1972.
In 1985 the Swedish Government decided to upgrade 54 J35Fs to extend their service lives until the end of the 1990s and fill the gap until JAS39 Gripen
deliveries began; two years later a further 12 were added to this substantial conversion programme.
Sources:
Tony Buttler - Draken, A Swedish Masterpiece (Air Int'l 03-2000)
Jan Jorgensen - SAAB 35 Draken (ISBN 1 85310 729 8)
In the summary below you can see all the Flygvapnet operators of the Saab 35 Draken.
|
| Swedish Draken Squadrons |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
F1 |
1 Jaktflygdivision |
Västerås-Hässlö |
J35F |
|
1966 - 1982 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35F |
|
1966 - 1982 |
| |
3 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35F |
|
1966 - 1982 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F3 |
1 Jaktflygdivision |
Linköping-Malmslätt |
J35D
J35F |
|
1965 - 1970
1970 - 1973 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35D
J35F |
|
1965 - 1970
1970 - 1973 |
| |
3 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35D |
|
1965 - 1970 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F4 |
1 Jaktflygdivision |
Östersund-Frösön |
J35D |
|
1969 - 1984 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35D |
|
1974 - 1984 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F10 |
1 Jaktflygdivision |
Ängelholm-Barkåkra |
J35F
J35J |
|
1969 - 1987
1987 - 1996 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35F
J35J |
|
1970 - 1988
1988 - 1998 |
| |
3 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35D
J35F
J35J |
|
1964 - 1970
1970 - 1989
1989 - 1993 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F11 |
1 Spaningsdivision |
Nyköping-Skavsta |
S35E |
|
1964 - 1979 |
| |
2 Spaningsdivision |
|
S35E |
|
1966 - 1979 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F12 |
1 Jaktflygdivision |
Kalmar |
J35F |
|
1969 - 1979 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35F |
|
1968 - 1979 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F13 |
1 Jaktflygdivision |
Norrköping-Bråvalla |
J35A
J35D
J35F |
|
1959 - 1962
1962 - 1965
1965 - 1975 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35A
J35D
J35F |
|
1960 - 1962
1963 - 1965
1965 - 1978 |
| |
3 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35A
J35D
J35F |
|
1960 - 1963
1963 - 1966
1966 - 1978 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F16 |
1 Jaktflygdivision |
Uppsala |
J35A
J35F |
|
1961 - 1976
1976 - 1985 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35A
J35F |
|
1963 - 1976
1976 - 1986 |
| |
3 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35B
J35A
J35F |
|
1962 - 1964
1964 - 1976
1976 - 1987 |
| |
DCU |
|
Sk35C |
|
1962 - 1985 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F17 |
1 Jaktflygdivision |
Ronneby-Kallinge |
J35F |
|
1972 - 1981 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35F |
|
1973 - 1977 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F18 |
1 Jaktflygdivision |
Tullinge |
J35B |
|
1962 - 1974 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35B |
|
1962 - 1974 |
| |
3 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35B |
|
1962 - 1976 |
| Wing: |
Squadron: |
Base: |
Type: |
Number: |
Period: |
| F21 |
1 Spaningsdivision |
Luleå-Kallax |
S35E |
|
1966 - 1979 |
| |
2 Jaktflygdivision |
|
J35D |
|
1969 - 1984 |
| |
|
