Saab 35 Draken

The Saab 35 Draken, The Kite or The Dragon, is a Swedish fighter-interceptor that Saab developed from 1948 and built between 1955 and 1974 as the replacement for the Saab 29 Tunnan day fighter and the Saab 32B Lansen all-weather fighter. Its innovative double-delta wing was first tested on a sub-scale aircraft, the Saab 210, and the full-size version entered front-line Swedish Air Force service on 8 March 1960. It was built in several variants, mostly as an interceptor, though it was also regarded as a capable dogfighter, and the final Swedish upgrade was the J 35J. Although it was never used in conflict, it was exported to Austria, Denmark and Finland, and former Danish aircraft later flew as test pilot trainers in the United States. Sweden retired its Drakens in December 1999.