Why was the Viggen never exported?

[SprueMan]

The SAAB Draken has some export success, as did the Gripen, but the Viggen was never exported.

How come?

Was it in the wrong time and place or was it not as good a plane?

 

Looking back, it was a bit odd that no eastern European country bought surplus airframes from Sweden when Sweden started fielded the Gripen. A rugged airplane with a wide loadout range would have been a good interim plane before waiting for F-16s and other birds.

[John B (Sc)]

It may be that there was not much fatigue life left in the ex-Swedish machines; the Swedes flew them very hard, fast and low -they are an impressive bunch of pilots !   

Also Sweden's past, fairly strict, neutrality probably tended to limit the number of places they would allow export too.

[Graham Boak]

It would also have been a pretty expensive machine to operate, especially for the ex-Warsaw Pact countries.  I also wonder whether the US placed limitations on the export of the engine which was basically a JT9 with a Swedish afterburner.

[bentwaters81tfw]

I understand the RAF were interested at one time.

[JohnT]

29 minutes ago, John B (Sc) said:

It may be that there was not much fatigue life left in the ex-Swedish machines; the Swedes flew them very hard, fast and low -they are an impressive bunch of pilots !   

 

 

 

On reading a book on Jaguar pilots as I recall one Jaguar driver mentioned a visit to Sweden and thought the Swedish Pilots low flying to be pretty hard core.  Seemingly they tracked up the fire breaks in the forests to minimise radar detection.

[Karearea]

The Aussies were interested too: https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/saab-37au-fighter-viggen-a21-−-australian-ja-37-derivative-1970-−-1976.42066/#post-617750

Edited August 12 by Karearea

[Richard E]

It was also considered by the Japanese Air Self Defence Force before they purchased McDonnell Douglas' F-15J Eagle.

[John B (Sc)]

13 hours ago, JohnT said:

 

 

On reading a book on Jaguar pilots as I recall one Jaguar driver mentioned a visit to Sweden and thought the Swedish Pilots low flying to be pretty hard core.  Seemingly they tracked up the fire breaks in the forests to minimise radar detection.

Yes. An RAF fast jet pilot I knew said he was astonished at the way the Swedes flew, so low and fast.  He flew in a Swedish machine, found the ultra lowl levl ops impressive. When the Swedish pilots tried out the Jaguar, they immediately went ultra low, below the 100ft height used by the RAF, and a good deal faster than the RAF generally flew, in an aircraft strange to them. He reckoned they flew it to its limits most impressively and thta they would make formidable adversaries !  

[-Ian-]

14 hours ago, Richard E said:

It was also considered by the Japanese Air Self Defence Force before they purchased McDonnell Douglas' F-15J Eagle.

There's an idea for a WHIF 😁

 

I've always liked the Viggen and the JASDF have had some very interesting camo schemes the past few decades.

[bentwaters81tfw]

I was once told by an ex RAF ATC controller that a Jaguar pilot had a bet he could transit the STANTA battle area undetected. He was tracked in, and tracked out, but not across. He flew below tree top height down the fire breaks.

[spruecutter96]

17 hours ago, John B (Sc) said:

Also Sweden's past, fairly strict, neutrality probably tended to limit the number of places they would allow export too.

I seem to remember the Austrian AF using the Drakken for a while? Or maybe I'm having a senior moment....

 

Chris.   

[PLC1966]

3 minutes ago, spruecutter96 said:

I seem to remember the Austrian AF using the Drakken for a while? Or maybe I'm having a senior moment....

 

Chris.   

No, you are right about that, as did the Danes.

[Dave Fleming]

Basically because the Americans made the F16 available - the Viggen was one of the competitors for the so-called 'Sale of the Century' fighter selection for Norway, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. With the F-16 winning, it effectively killed export prospects for the Viggen.

 

Previously, the Swedes had even pitched a version for the specification that became the F16, and an export to India was blocked by the USA based on the engine - the Indians bought the Jaguar

[GiampieroSilvestri]

It was against American interests like the Fiat G91 in the sixties that was offered to all western nations but in the end they all bought the F-5 Tiger except Germany and Portugal.

 

Saluti

 

Giampiero

[John B (Sc)]

On 8/13/2024 at 3:59 PM, spruecutter96 said:

I seem to remember the Austrian AF using the Drakken for a while? Or maybe I'm having a senior moment....

 

Chris.   

Indeed. The Austrians, at the time, observed strict neutrality in a formal sense -  part of the  four power agreements after WW2, essentially.

 

The Danes were a slightly different case, given they were & are part of NATO and that their Drakesn were optimised for the strike role.  I seem to recall that the Drakens were originally intended as a temporary stop gap for Denmark; perhaps that was relevant.   It may also have been that as another Nordic nation, they were viewed favourably , rather as the Finns - who also operated Drakens - were. 

[exdraken]

On 8/13/2024 at 4:59 PM, spruecutter96 said:

I seem to remember the Austrian AF using the Drakken for a while? Or maybe I'm having a senior moment....

 

Chris.   

Austrian Draken  pilots flew the FighterViggen in Sweden for a time to get more hours and experience.

They never operated them in Austria though.