Saab J 29 Tunnan (Barrel)

The Saab-produced J 29 Tunnan (meaning "barrel" due to its stubby-like barrel appearance) was the second jet-fighter design produced in Sweden following the Second World War. Following along with other nations at the time, Swedish engineers utilized German swept-wing research and incorporated it into their latest design, producing the portly-looking J29 became a mainstay of the Swedish armed forces up until 1976.

The Tunnan was a single-seat, single-engine aircraft. The pilot sat up high in a forward-mounted cockpit with good visibility through a nearly all-glass canopy. An intake dominated the front end of the fuselage and extended about 3/4 of the way to the rear where an exhaust system was implemented underneath the tail assembly. The tail assembly was of a single-rudder design with an elevator on either side. The entire system was mounted high aft. The swept back wings were allocated to the center-forward part of the fuselage for increased stability.

Initial testing of the swept wing functionality occurred on a Saab Safir airframe with initial prototypes receiving the green light from those results. Entering service in the early 1950's, the aircraft would see several developments produce a ground-attack version and a dedicated photographic reconnaissance model. Each new design incorporated new features such as increased fuel capacity and minor aerodynamic improvements to the overall design.

The Tunnan came armed with a 4 x 20mm cannon array as standard. Two RB24 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles were later incorporated, optimizing the aircraft’s potential in the air-to-air role. Still-later - with the ground attack capability in place - the system could field air-to-ground rockets and iron drop bombs as needed. Beyond that, photo reconnaissance models carried specialized equipment to fulfill its spyplane role.

In the end, the nifty little fighter design would see limited combat affairs over Africa in support of the newly-formed United Nations. Austria would field its own purchased Tunnans in later years and the entire system would be removed from service in the middle of the 1970's. As it stood, the J 29 Tunnan was of a good design philosophy, playing upon the research garnered from the end of the Second World War and improved upon through the results of air combat in the Korean War allowing the Tunnan to offer up multiple decades of service to its operators.

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Last Revision: 5/18/2009