Saab 35 Draken - Walk Around No. 62

Swedens most famous fighter, hailed by some as a fighter pilots dream, was developed and built by the Saab company between 1955 and 1974. Designed with the Cold War situation in mind, the Draken was specially tailored to Swedens needs. Several versions of the aircraft were developed to undertake a wide range of tasks. The J 35A, J 35 B, J 35D, J 35F, and J 35J were fighter versions, with the J 35J staying in service with the Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force) until 1998. The innovative, tailless, double-delta design of the Draken proved to be amazingly successful and ushered in a whole line of more sophisticated successors. The aircraft was exported to Finland, Denmark, and Austria, where the last J 35D was retired in 2005.