The S29C were 76 aircraft built from 1954 until 1956 and modified for the fast-reconnaissance role. They carried five cameras in a redesigned nose section and lacked the cannon armament. New wings (with a leading edge "dog tooth" appearance) eventually led to their redesignation of J29E. The wings were useful in increasing the aircraft's critical Mach number, that is the lowest Mach number at which airflow over the aircraft surfaces reaches the speed of sound without exceeding it. Twenty-nine were produced in 1955 as reconnaissance platforms.
The J29D was a one-off prototype set aside to test the D.H. Ghost RM.2A turbojet engine of 6,175lb. This model was then finalized as the J29F production form and 308 were converted from existing J29B and J29E aircraft to the standard. The work spanned from 1954 until 1956. In 1963, the fleet was then upgraded to support the American AIM-9 Sidewinder short-ranged air-to-air missile to further bolster the firepower of the little aircraft. The missiles were furthermore produced locally, under-license as the Rb 24.
The J29 was fielded by no fewer than thirteen Swedish Air Force squadrons for its time in the air - F.3, F.4, F.6, F.7, F.8, F.9, F.10, F.11, F.12, F.13, F.15, F.16, and F.21. The series was used in anger through F.22 "Congo" as part of the United Nations (UN) ONUC ("Organisation des Nations Unies au Congo") force in post-independence Congo, Africa as part of a peace-keeping endeavor running from 1960 until 1964. The action marked the first, and last, exposure to combat for the J29. It was also the UN's first considerable military operation. In the theater, the J29 was used effectively to strike at enemy ground targets through cannon fire and rockets with no losses recorded. After the commitment, these few aircraft were scrapped where they lay rather than pay to have them relocated back to Sweden.
Austrian Air Force use was made possible by an Austro-Swedish agreement signed in early-1961. Some 15 J29Fs were contracted for in this initial handshake between the two countries and a further 15 (again J29F models) were ordered in 1962. The subsequent batch was slightly modified by way of a nose camera fitting taking the place of two of the automatic cannons. Unlike Swedish J29s, the Austrian Tunnans did not carry the Sidewinder missile family at any point. The service retired the fleet in 1972.
Despite its rather modest production total of 661 aircraft - and some early issues with crashes owing largely to ill-trained pilots when handling swept-back wing aircraft - the J29 was a success for both Saab and Sweden in the early Cold War period and proved influential in future fighter designs that followed. The agile and fast little warplane managed a steady existence from 1951 until retired in full in 1976 and could be compared favorably to contemporaries of the time. Production spanned from 1948 until 1956. Before their end in Swedish Air Force service, J29s operated in the target towing role and were used as countermeasures training platforms. Its last recorded flight was in August of 1976.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.