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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0469.PDF
APRIL 3RD, 1947 PLIGHT Two SAAB-17B dive-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. The 17B has Bristol Pegasus XXIV engines. SWEDISH WINGS An Account of the Wartime Activities of the Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget By W. GREEND URING the war years, when the major combatantpowers were concentrating vast effort on warplane production, Sweden's aircraft industry also experi-enced a very rapid expansion. With her previous channels of supply severed, Sweden found that she would not onlyhave to build her aircraft but also design them. Thus, through necessity, the Swedish aircraft industry produceda number of original designs which have been continually improved throughout the last six years until they nowequal or surpass many foreign designs of similar power. The predominant aircraft manufacturing company inSweden is the Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, the name of which is usually abbreviated to SAAB. The companywas founded in 1937 for the manufacture of airframes and aircraft engines, with factories at Linkoping and Troll-hattan. When the need came for Sweden to produce her own aircraft, SAAB undertook the manufacture of anumber of all-metal military aircraft of its own design. Previously, the concern had produced the Junkers Ju 86Ktwin-engined medium bomber, the Northrop 8A-1 dive- bomber, and the North American NA-16-4 advanced trainerunder licence. With experience gained from the manufac- ture of these, original designs were evolved which now formthe bulk of Sweden's-air arm. The SAAB-17 The SAAB-17 was the first bomber entirely designed inSweden. Design work was begun in 1938 at the Forenade Flygverkstader, a company then controlled by SAAB. Itwas intended for use as a reconnaissance monoplane, but a year later the specification was altered to incorporate theduties of Hive-bomber. About this time, SAAB took over control of the aircraft division of the Aktiebolaget SvenskaJarnvagsverkstaderna, with the result that the activities of the Forenade concern were discontinued, and the necessarydesign changes on the SAAB-17 were carried out at SAAB's newly acquired Linkoping plant. The prototype powered bya Pratt & Whitney radial engine, flew for the first time on May 18th, 1940. The SAAB-17 is a two-seat dive-bomber/reconnaissance monoplane and has been produced in four basic versions, three of which differ merely as regards theengine installed: 17A has a 1,065 nP- Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp SC3-G two-row radial engine and a maximum An SAAB-17 in seaplane form with cantilever floats.
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