What makes this clip unique is the gorgeous, non-standard double-delta silhouette of the J 35J Draken which stands out in Full Afterburner against the beautiful (although cloudy) Austrian background.
Filmed on Sep. 6-7, 2019 the cool video in this post features the SAAB J 35J Draken (serial 35556/10-56) from the Swedish Air Force Historic Flight (SwAFHF) performing at Airpower 2019 Airshow at Zeltweg Air Base, Austria.
What makes this clip unique is the gorgeous, non-standard double-delta silhouette of the Draken which stands out in Full Afterburner against the beautiful (although cloudy) Austrian background.
As explained by Jan Jørgensen & friends in the book Saab 35 Draken The ultimate portfolio, when the Draken was retired from Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force) active service, two J 35J’s were set aside to be used as flying museum aircraft. One has been operated by Försvarsmaktens Veteranflyg (armed forces veteran flight) based at Halmstad and flown regularly at Swedish air shows (35556), while the other has been stored at Aeromuseum in Säve (35586/10-62).
In 2013 Försvarsmaktens decided to stop its Veteranflyg activity, and 35556 was transferred to the SwAFHF at Såtenäs, to be flown on the civil register.
The Austrian Air Force was one of the fourth operators (along with the Swedish Air Force, the Danish Air Force and the Finnish Air Force) of the Draken. A few Austrian Air Force J 35OE Drakens continued to fly until Dec. 22, 2005. This date was not just a milestone for the service but also the last time the Swedish double-delta fighter was flown as an operational combat aircraft after 45 years of service with the air forces of four nations.
Following retirement many Austrian Air Force Drakens have been given to museums for preservation, but also some were returned to Sweden by road for scrapping.
