The US-Swedish "37 Annex"

[Slater]

From a Wikipedia article on the SAAB Viggen:

In 1960, the US National Security Council, led by President Eisenhower, formulated a military security guarantee for Sweden. The US promised to help the Swedish militarily in the event of a Soviet attack against Sweden; both countries signed a military-technology agreement. In what was known as the "37-annex", Sweden was allowed access to advanced US aeronautical technology which made it possible to design and produce the Saab 37 Viggen much faster and more cheaply than would otherwise have been possible.

Don't know whether this actually true or not; Sweden certainly has the engineering talent to go it on their own. Thoughts?

[Doc72]

Aviation buffs from most European countries cannot help but envy Sweden. With hardly ten million inhabitants Sweden has built a number of highly successful and impressive fighter jets ranging from the 1950s Tunnan to today's Gripen. Sweden without any doubt has the engineering talented combined with a high national income and healthy defense politics.

Nevertheless, even Saab can´t do miracles and the Swedish military, too, has to operate within certain economic constraints. Therefore it is only fair to notice that the Saab fighters have never been 100% domestic Swedish products. Sweden decided to design their own jets to underline their neutral status, but they were wise enough to buy crucial components from abroad.

The Draken has a (license-built) R.R. Avon-engine and Aden guns from Britain, a French-designed Radar (the PS-02/A in the early Drakens was at least based on the Cyrano) and American missiles (Falcon and Sidewinder). In the case of the Viggen, the engine is based on the civilian JT8D turbofan from the US and some of the avionics are also of American origin. The AAMs carried by the Viggen (Sidewinder and Skyflash) were also foreign designs.

I only heard about the "37-annex" from Wikipedia and so I cannot say anything precise about it, but it is obvious that the Saab fighters depended heavily on imported technology. Engines, avionics and missiles are not the least important parts of any military aircraft. In a way the Swedish fighters are less Swedish than the Mirage-family is French. If there was such a close cooperation between the Swedish arms industry and the West, I am sure this was based on some form of political agreement between the respective governments.

Sweden has without any doubts considerable technological capabilities but building a 100%- or even 80%-domestic fighter would have been outside of what a 9 million people state can reasonably afford to do (or is willing to do). Nevertheless, Tunnan, Lansen, Draken, Viggen and Gripen are most impressive achievements.