The first swept-wing fighter built in Western Europe and a child of the Cold War, the Saab 29, sometimes also referred to as the J29, fittingly earned the moniker “Tunnan” or “Barrel.” Designed in the late 1940s, it was the second turbojet-powered combat aircraft developed in Sweden, after the Saab 21R.
Indeed, the Saab 29 was no F-35 or F-22, but Sweden did build an early Cold War fighter that could take on Russia if it had to. Luckily, World War III never broke out, but we can still marvel at this fantastic plane for sure.
Meet the Saab 29
The first swept-wing fighter to be built in Western Europe and clearly a child of the Cold War, the Saab 29, sometimes also referred to as the J29, fittingly earned the moniker “Tunnan” or “Barrel.” Designed in the late 1940s, it was the second turbojet-powered combat aircraft to be developed in Sweden, after the Saab 21R.
The availability of the British Ghost turbojet enabled noted Swedish aviation pioneer Lars Brising and his design team to raise their sights and go for higher performance while employing a swept wing – with a wing layout that swept 25 degrees rearward – in the new aircraft. The first-generation jet fighter was a single-seat, single-engine aircraft with a single central air take placed at the nose and a bubble cockpit.
Sweden had relied on World War II German studies involving the swept wings, and it is easy to see the influence of the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt M3 P1101 project.
The team hit few snags, and the design moved forward quickly. Pilots found the Saab 29 to be fast and agile, with its rate of roll and turn radius each considered outstanding. The pilots also coped reasonably well with the narrow-track landing gear.