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From: Miloch <Miloch_member@newsguy.com>
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Subject: Saab 29 Tunnan
Date: 12 Mar 2018 07:58:13 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_29_Tunnan
The Saab 29, colloquially called Flygande tunnan (English: "The flying barrel"),
was a Swedish fighter designed and manufactured by Saab in the 1940s. It was
Sweden's second turbojet-powered combat aircraft, the first being the Saab 21R;
additionally, it was the first Western European fighter to be produced with a
swept wing after the Second World War, the Me 262 being the first during the
war. Despite its rotund appearance, from which its name derives, the J 29 was a
fast and agile aircraft for its era. It served effectively in both fighter and
fighter-bomber roles into the 1970s.
The Saab 29 Tunnan is a first-generation jet fighter, possessing the distinction
of being the first Swedish aircraft to be specifically designed to use jet
propulsion. Visually, it was a small, chubby aircraft featuring an integral
single central air intake forming the aircraft's nose, the pilot being housed
within a bubble canopy located directly above the air intake on the
upper-forward section of the fuselage, and a very thin mid-mounted swept-back
wing. The two-spar wing is a single piece structure attached to the fuselage by
four bolts. The undercarriage was hydraulically retracted during flight and was
designed to be suitable for landing upon rough grass airstrips.
Role
Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer
Saab
First flight
1 September 1948
Introduction
1951
Retired
1976
Status
Retired
Primary users
Swedish Air Force
Austrian Air Force
Produced
Number built
661
The J 29 was one of the first production fighters with a swept-back wing, being
the first Western European fighter to be introduced with such a wing
configuration. It was fast and agile, and set the world speed record on a 500 km
(310 mi) closed circuit in 1954 at 977 km/h (607.05 mph). Two S 29C
(reconnaissance variant) additionally set an international speed record of 900.6
km/h (559.4 mph) over a 1,000 km (620 mi) closed-circuit course in 1955.
The crash record in early service was poor, mainly due to the inexperience with
swept-winged aircraft and the lack of a two-seat, dual control Tunnan trainer
variant: this meant that Swedish fighter pilots could only be trained using two
seat variants of the de Havilland Vampire (a straight-winged jet), before going
solo in a Tunnan. 99 pilots were killed during military practice flights in
Sweden.
The Tunnan was the first Swedish jet aircraft to perform combat operations. In
September 1961, in response to an appeal by the United Nations (UN) for military
support, an initial force of five J 29Bs were stationed in the Republic of Congo
as a contribution to a UN peacekeeping mission (ONUC) in the region, organized
as the F 22 Wing of the Swedish Air Force.
Most of the missions involved attacking ground targets with internal cannons as
well as unguided rockets. No aircraft were lost in action despite large amounts
of ground fire. Consensus of the crews and foreign observers was that the
Tunnan's capabilities were exceptional.
Specifications (Saab J 29F Tunnan)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 10.23 m (33 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)
Empty weight: 4,845 kg (10,680 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 8,375 kg (18,465 lb)
Performance
Maximum speed: 1,060 km/h (660 mph)
Range: 1,100 km (685 mi)
Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,850 ft)
Rate of climb: 32.1 m/s (6,320 ft/min)
Armament
4x20mm Hispano Mark V autocannon
75 mm (3 in) air-to-air rockets
Rb 24 air-to-air missiles
145 mm (5.8 in) anti-armor rockets, 150 mm (6 in) HE (high-explosive) rockets,
180 mm (7.2 in) HE antiship rockets
*
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