1/72 SAAB DRAKEN SWEDISH AF - 35959 SKAVSTA MUSEUM

As jet fighter technology developed after the end of World War II, Sweden foresaw a need for a supersonic fighter that could intercept bombers at high altitude as well as engage other fighters. It had to be flown by a single pilot, yet be capable of conducting combat operations under all weather conditions, night or day, while operating from even the most basic of airstrips (including the ability to operate from reinforced public roads), carrying all equipment needed to neutralise modern jet bombers.

Development of the Saab 35 Draken (Draken has a double meaning and translates as both Dragon and Kite) started in 1948, making its first flight in 1955 and ceasing production in 1974. Designed as a fighter, the innovative but unproven double-delta wing led to the creation of a smaller-scale test aircraft, the Saab 210 (unofficially nicknamed Lilldraken), which was produced and flown to test this previously unexplored aerodynamic feature prior to full type approval for the Draken.

Propulsion was provided by a single Svenska Flygmotor RM6B/C turbojet engine, a licence-built model of a Rolls-Royce Avon engine. The Draken was the first Western European-built combat aircraft to enter service that could achieve true supersonic speeds and be deployed with this feature. With its distinctive double delta wings, the Draken was capable of incredible manoeuvrability and saw service with the Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Austrian air forces.

The Draken functioned as an effective supersonic fighter-interceptor aircraft of the Cold War period, although it was never used in conflict. It was considered to be a very capable dogfighter for the era and, in Swedish service, it underwent several upgrades. By the mid-1980s, the Swedish Air Force's Drakens had largely been replaced by the more advanced Viggen fighter, while the introduction of the more capable Saab Gripen fighter was expected in service within a decade, although delayed. As a consequence of cutbacks and high maintenance costs, the Swedish Air Force opted to retire the Draken during December 1999.

A total of 651 Drakens were manufactured by Saab. Sweden's Draken fleet comprised a total of six different versions, while two additional models of the Draken were offered to prospective export customers. Austria was the last country to have the Draken in active military service - the first of the refurbished Draken J-35O's was handed over to the Austrian Air Force by 1987. In 2005, these AAF Drakens were retired. In the United States, the National Test Pilot School operated six Drakens that were formerly in Danish service. They were retired in 2009.

This latest version of Aviation 72's impressively-heavy casting depicts an S35E variant with camera portals to either side of the nose cone. This particular aircraft has survived into preservation and is on display at the F11 Flygmuseum, at Stockholm's Skavsta Airport near Nykoping, about 100kms south west of Sweden's capital city. With undercarriage fixed in deployed mode, the model features an array of ordnance, as maintained on the display aircraft today. Also supplied is Aviation 72's premium, fully-metal stand, which is incredibly sturdy. As with the three Drakens released earlier in 2025, the new-style packaging is now more sturdy, as both model and stand make for quite a hefty combination. Numbers of each model release are limited too.