Saab 21R

infobox Aircraft
name =SAAB 21R
type =Fighter and attack aircraft
manufacturer =SAAB



caption =Saab 21R in Linköping museum
designer = Frid Wänström
first flight = 10 March 1947
introduced = 1950
retired = 1956
status = retired
primary user = Swedish Air Force
more users =
produced = 1950-1952
number built = 64
unit cost =
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 and is unusual for being the only aircraft that saw service as both a piston-engined fighter, and a jet fighter. 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 and was Sweden's first jet-powered aircraft to be developed and built domestically.

There were quite a few 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, 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. [Widfeldt 1966, p. 9.] ;J 21RB / A 21RB:Second production series, powered by Swedish-built engines, 30 built between 1950 and 1952, retired in 1956.

Operators

;SWE
*Swedish Air Force

pecifications (Saab 21RA)

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=jet
ref="Attack and Interceptor Jets" [Sharpe 1999]
crew=One
length main=10.45 m
length alt=34 ft 3 in
span main=11.37 m
span alt=37 ft 4 in
height main=2.90 m
height alt=9 ft 8 in
area main=
area alt=238 ft²
empty weight main=3,200 kg
empty weight alt=7,055 lb
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main=5,000 kg
max takeoff weight alt=11,023 lb
engine (jet)= De Havilland Goblin 2
type of jet=turbojet
number of jets=1
thrust main=13.8 kN
thrust alt=3,100 lbf
afterburning thrust main=
afterburning thrust alt=
max speed main=800 km/h
max speed alt=497 mph
max speed more=
range main=720 km
range alt=450 mi
range more=
ceiling main=12,000 m
ceiling alt=39,400 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=56 ft/s
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
more performance=

Takeoff roll: 650 m (2,133 ft)
armament=
*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.

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Saab 21

similar aircraft=
* Curtiss XP-55 Ascender
* De Havilland Vampire
* Saab 21

sequence=
Saab 17 - MFI-15 Safari - Saab 18 - Saab 21 - Saab 21R - Saab 29 Tunnan - Saab 32 Lansen - Saab 35 Draken - Saab 37 Viggen - Saab 39 Gripen

lists=
* List of fighter aircraft
* List of military aircraft of Sweden

see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Andersson, Hans G. "Saab Aircraft since 1937 (1st ed.)". London: Putnam, 1989. ISBN 0-85177-831-3.
* 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

* [http://www.canit.se/~griffon/aviation/text/21saab.htm SAAB 21 story]