The Saab 29 Tunnan, variously nicknamed “Flying Barrel,” stands during the early Cold War period as one leap of innovation by Sweden in aerospace technology. Developed at the end of the 1940s by the company then called Saab AB, Tunnan became the first jet fighter from Sweden and the first anywhere that boasted an afterburner-representing a milestone for the military aviation of the nation.
Immediately following World War II, Swedish military thinking became increasingly uneasy about lagging behind the rapid advances in aerospace technology. The beginning of the Cold War did little to alleviate these fears as Sweden lay in a precarious position between the Soviet Union and Western NATO powers. Thus, in October of 1945, Saab began Project JxR under the oversight of engineer Lars Brising, intended to develop a new jet fighter follow-up to the Saab J21 piston-engined aircraft.
Two concepts had been put before the design team: a fixed-wing aircraft that used inspiration from the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, with a barrel-shaped fuselage design; the latter was chosen because it was perceived to be more agile. Further refinements of the Tunnan design had been inspired by German research into swept-wing designs, especially studies by aerospace engineer Hermann Behrbohm, who during the war had studied delta and swept wings.
The Tunnan design featured several other novel features: to get the speed and agility, the wings were made very thin and as narrow as possible; the undercarriage retracted into the fuselage, not the wings themselves. Originally flying with the British-manufactured de Havilland Goblin turbojet, this was soon replaced with the more powerful de Havilland Ghost, which gave it the capability to reach as high as 660 miles per hour.
The Tunnan was also the first jet fighter of Swedish origin to be fitted with an ejector seat, an invention of the engineers at Saab. It radically improved the possibility of preserving the life of the pilot in dangerous situations.
First flown in 1950, the Saab 29 Tunnan entered service in 1951, and soon acquired a reputation for speed and agility. Partially due to the initial high performance, numerous early accidents occurred while pilots became accustomed to flying swept-wing aircraft; Saab responded to this with a “dog tooth” indent on the trailing edge of the wing, improving control.
The Tunnan went on to gain the distinction of being the very first indigenous Swedish jet fighter to see combat in active service. Between 1951 and 1961, a squadron was sent to the Congo as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force. The aircraft undertook some very heavy theatre ground strike and light bombing sorties and did very well. Miraculously, no Tunnans were lost to hostile fire during the conflict.
The Tunnan continued in service up until the early 1970s, having 661 of its units produced during that time hence being the most produced aircraft within Sweden. In fact, the success of Tunnan would serve to guarantee that future Swedish jet fighters were brought forward.
Nowadays, the Tunnan is remembered as one of the many ingenuous examples of what could be accomplished by Sweden during a critical period in global military history. Its legacy lives on to inspire the aviation enthusiast and military historian alike.