This Double Delta Wing Fighter Accidently Broke The Sound Barrier
Take one look at the Saab J35 "Draken" and you'll notice that it looks almost nothing like any other fighter jet. It's appearance is more like an experimental jet or a failed science fiction spacecraft than a serious fighter jet. The Draken's seemingly wacky design classifies it as a Double Delta Wing. Its tail is anything but conventional, and the jet looks like a very fast triangle.
But despite the somewhat bizarre appearance, the J35 was a formidable performer in the skies when it was first entered service with the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) in 1960. According to Saab, the Draken was originally designed to be an interceptor plane, ready to catch long range Soviet bomber planes or other airborne threats. As such, it was the first Swedish plane to break Mach 2. In fact, the plane was so maneuverable and quick to get into the fight, that one Draken reportedly accidentally travelled faster than the speed of sound while climbing.
Over the course of the Cold War, the Draken served in variety of roles apart from its original high-altitude configuration. It was an air-to-air fighter jet and also a photoreconnaissance plane during its service life.
Don't judge a plane by its wings
In addition to its service with the Swedish Air Force, it served Austria, Denmark, and Finland. The Draken officially retired from Swedish service in 1998, 38 years after its introduction. In Austria, it flew until 2005. Even today, now more than 60 years later, the Saab J35 Drakens still fly with the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, California, helping U.S. jet pilots learn the ropes of high-speed maneuvering. In 2005, at the Draken's 50th anniversary celebration, Erik Bratt, one of the men behind the original construction of the plane said: "We didn't really have supersonic aircraft in those days, so Saab had a pretty tough job to do. The results exceeded expectations, but of course I couldn't dream that the Draken would still be in active service today."
The Saab J35 Draken is the ultimate case of "don't judge a book by its cover." A modern F22 Raptor looks fast and mean and it delivers. The Saab, on the other hand, looks downright goofy to a lot of people, but that goofiness is immediately betrayed by the Draken's staggering performance at high speeds and while climbing.
612 Drakens left the assembly line over its service life, according to Saab.