The Saab 35 Draken [Dragon], a second generation supersonic interceptor with a distinctive double delta wing, was far ahead of its contemporaries in terms of design and aerodynamics, and has remained a viable fighter for nearly four decades. The decision to develop the Saab 35 Draken supersonic fighter, which introduced what was perhaps the most daring chapter so far in the history of the Swedish aircraft industry, had been taken as far back as 1949. After much research including flight-testing of a 70 percent scale aircraft, the first prototype flew in late 1955 and Sweden´s first Mach 2 fighter was a reality. The Draken was fast and highly maneuverable. The strongly built fighter could operate from primitive airfields cut out of the forest and could use ordinary roads as runways. The J35A Draken entered service in 1959 and was followed by five different versions for the Swedish Air Force, including the all-weather J35F with its then advanced radar, infra-red search and track system, and both radar and IR guided missiles. In all, 612 Drakens were built between 1955 and 1972. Of these, 51 were exported to Denmark, Finland assembled 12 under license and later bought a number of ex-Swedish aircraft, and Austria ordered 24 modified Drakens. The single-seat combat aircraft has, a single engine and is equipped with two 30mm automatic cannons and Sidewinder air-to-air guided weapons. The fuselage is round with small canopy, extending beyond the trailing edge of the tail fin, which is small and is highly swept along both leading and trailing edge. Small oval air intakes are located on either side of the fuselage

Data J-35J Draken

Nation of Orgin: Sweden
Constructor: SAAB Military Aircrafts
Type: Fighter/Interceptor
Crew: 1
Length: 15.34m / 50ft 5in
Height: 3.89m / 12ft 9in
Wing span: 9.42m / 30ft 10in
Max. weight: 12.500kg / 27.557lbs
Engine: Rolls Rolls Avon 300 afterburning jetengine, with 5.800kg / 12.889lb thrust (8.000kg / 17.778lbs with afterburner)
Max. Speed: Mach 2+
Landing speed: 300km/h / 186mph
Max. Atitude: 15.000m / 49.340ft
Range: 2.750km / 1.710 miles
Ceiling: 18,300 m
Armament: 2 x 30 mm Aden guns with 150 rounds each; Rb24/24J (AIM-9 Sidewinder), Rb27 Falcon SAR, Rb28 Falcon IR, 135 mm rockets for ground attack, pods of 19 x 75mm anti-aircraft rockets and fuelpods