Saab 21R
| SAAB 21R | |
|---|---|
| |
| Saab 21R in Linköping museum | |
| Role | Fighter and attack aircraft |
| Manufacturer | SAAB |
| Designer | Frid Wänström |
| First flight | 10 March 1947 |
| Introduction | 1950 |
| Retired | 1956 |
| Status | retired |
| Primary user | Swedish Air Force |
| Produced | 1950-1952 |
| Number built | 64 |
| Developed from | Saab 21 |
The Saab 21R was a Swedish twin-boom fighter/attack aircraft made by SAAB. It was a jet-powered development of the piston-engined Saab 21 which along with the Russian Yakovlev Yak-15 was one of the only two jet fighters successfully converted from a piston-powered aircraft to enter production.[1]
As a fighter, its service designation in the Swedish Air Force was J 21R, and saw service in the late 1940s.
Design and development
The 21R was powered by a de Havilland Goblin 3 turbojet (RM 1) and was Sweden's first jet-powered aircraft to be developed and built domestically.
There were many differences between the 21A and the 21R, aside from the method of propulsion. The most notable difference was that the tailplane was raised to the top of the fins, moving it out of the way of the jet blast.
Operational history
The first prototype Saab 21R first flew on 10 March 1947,[2] just after the Second World War. The aircraft first entered into service with F 10 in August 1950. Although the type was originally intended as a fighter aircraft, a newly developed fighter, the Saab J 29 first flew in October 1948, the number to be produced was halved from 120 to 60, and eventually all 21Rs were converted to attack aircraft as A 21RA or the A 21RB depending on the engine type.
Variants
- J 21RA / A 21RA
- First production series, powered by British-built engines, 34 built in 1950 (including four prototypes), retired in 1953.[3]
- J 21RB / A 21RB
- Second production series, powered by Swedish-built engines, 30 built between 1950 and 1952, retired in 1956.
Operators
Specifications (Saab 21RA)
Data from Attack and Interceptor Jets[4]
General characteristics
- Crew: One
Performance
- 1x 20 mm Bofors Cannon
- 4x 13.2 mm M/39A Heavy machine guns
- Centerline pod for an additional 8x 13.2 mm M/39A Heavy machine guns
- Wing racks for either: 10x 100 mm or 5x 180 mm Bofors rockets, or 10x 80 mm anti-tank rockets.
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Andersson, Hans G. Saab Aircraft since 1937 (1st ed.). London: Putnam, 1989. ISBN 0-85177-831-3.
- Billing, Peter. "SAAB's Jet Debutant". Air Enthusiast, Twenty-three, December 1983–March 1984, pp. 20–30. Bromley, UK: Fine Scroll. ISSN 0143-5450.
- Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875-1995. London: Osprey, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9
- Sharpe, Michael. Attack and Interceptor Jets. London: Friedman/Fairfax Publishers, 1999. ISBN 1-58663-301-5.
- Widfeldt, Bo. The Saab 21 A & R (Aircraft in Profile number 138). Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1966.
External links
- SAAB 21 story
- J.21R in the Air - a 1948 Flight article on flying the SAAB J.21R