Book Review of
SAAB J 21A
Authors: Dariusz Kamas & Theodor Liviu Morosanu
MMP Books Single No. 31
ISBN: 978-83-66549-25-8
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2021
MSRP: $11.99
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2021
MSRP: $11.99
HISTORY:
The SAAB 21 is a Swedish single-seat low-wing monoplane fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by SAAB. It used a relatively unorthodox twin boom fuselage with a pusher engine, giving the aircraft an unusual appearance.
Work began at SAAB following a Swedish Air Force decision to embark on a major expansion program in preparation for the possibility of being drawn into the Second World War. The company designed a monoplane twin-boom aircraft, powered by a single Daimler-Benz DB 605B engine that was positioned to the rear of the fuselage nacelle, directly behind the pilot, that drove a pusher propeller. This arrangement allowed guns to be carried in the aircraft's nose while providing the pilot with good visibility. To enable the pilot to bail out without hitting the propeller behind him, they adopted an ejection seat.
On 30 July 1943, the 21 performed its maiden flight and on 1 December 1945, the first examples of the J 21A-1 were introduced to service. It was quickly followed by the improved J 21A-2, which featured a heavier armament, and the A 21A-3 fighter-bomber. Due to Swedish Air Force interest in jet fighters, SAAB produced a conversion using the British de Havilland Goblin as the Saab 21R.
The 21 was replaced in the mid-1950s after less than 10 years of service by the similarly configured de Havilland Vampire and the Saab 29 Tunnan.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter and attack aircraft
National origin: Sweden
Manufacturer: SAAB
First flight: 30 July 1943
Introduction to service: 1 December 1945
Retired: 23 July 1954
Status: Retired
Primary user: Swedish Air Force
Produced: 1945–1949
Number built: 298
Developed into: Saab 21R
THE BOOK:
MMP (Mushroom Model Publications) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus in Poland , in the English language. Stratus does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
This book is soft-cover of 24 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color top-view of a SAAB J-21A, posed against a bright orange background. The left wing is wrapped around the book’s spine to the back cover.
The aircraft is dark-green with a red spinner that has white spiral lines around it. Below the Swedish roundels on the wings there is a narrow white diagonal line with 7 & 5 at the top.
This aircraft is done as a 4-view inside the book.
Those color illustrations show it has a red letter R outlined in white on its rudder and side of the nose. Fuselage code is a small yellow 6 followed by the Swedish Air Force roundel and a multi-colored shield, that has a crown at the top and a lion on it on the sides of the nose.
The undercarriage is medium-grey overall.
This aircraft is a SAAB A-21A-3, Fv mr 21364, marked as “Red R”, F6 Wing, Karlsborg, as preserved at Flygvapenmuseum in Linkoping during 2010.
There are 21 black and white photos in the book. Walk-around type ones of these show the wing, landing gear, nose, engine and cockpit interior.
Line drawings show the dashboard, pilot seat and a cutaway of the aircraft’s wiring system.
Heller brand makes a 1/72nd scale kit of the SAAB J-21 and this book will be of great interest to modelers planning on building this kit and to aviation historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of MMP books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web site at:
The SAAB 21 is a Swedish single-seat low-wing monoplane fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by SAAB. It used a relatively unorthodox twin boom fuselage with a pusher engine, giving the aircraft an unusual appearance.
Work began at SAAB following a Swedish Air Force decision to embark on a major expansion program in preparation for the possibility of being drawn into the Second World War. The company designed a monoplane twin-boom aircraft, powered by a single Daimler-Benz DB 605B engine that was positioned to the rear of the fuselage nacelle, directly behind the pilot, that drove a pusher propeller. This arrangement allowed guns to be carried in the aircraft's nose while providing the pilot with good visibility. To enable the pilot to bail out without hitting the propeller behind him, they adopted an ejection seat.
On 30 July 1943, the 21 performed its maiden flight and on 1 December 1945, the first examples of the J 21A-1 were introduced to service. It was quickly followed by the improved J 21A-2, which featured a heavier armament, and the A 21A-3 fighter-bomber. Due to Swedish Air Force interest in jet fighters, SAAB produced a conversion using the British de Havilland Goblin as the Saab 21R.
The 21 was replaced in the mid-1950s after less than 10 years of service by the similarly configured de Havilland Vampire and the Saab 29 Tunnan.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter and attack aircraft
National origin: Sweden
Manufacturer: SAAB
First flight: 30 July 1943
Introduction to service: 1 December 1945
Retired: 23 July 1954
Status: Retired
Primary user: Swedish Air Force
Produced: 1945–1949
Number built: 298
Developed into: Saab 21R
THE BOOK:
MMP (Mushroom Model Publications) is based in the UK. All their books are printed by their associate Stratus in Poland , in the English language. Stratus does their own line of books in both Polish and English.
This book is soft-cover of 24 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color top-view of a SAAB J-21A, posed against a bright orange background. The left wing is wrapped around the book’s spine to the back cover.
The aircraft is dark-green with a red spinner that has white spiral lines around it. Below the Swedish roundels on the wings there is a narrow white diagonal line with 7 & 5 at the top.
This aircraft is done as a 4-view inside the book.
Those color illustrations show it has a red letter R outlined in white on its rudder and side of the nose. Fuselage code is a small yellow 6 followed by the Swedish Air Force roundel and a multi-colored shield, that has a crown at the top and a lion on it on the sides of the nose.
The undercarriage is medium-grey overall.
This aircraft is a SAAB A-21A-3, Fv mr 21364, marked as “Red R”, F6 Wing, Karlsborg, as preserved at Flygvapenmuseum in Linkoping during 2010.
There are 21 black and white photos in the book. Walk-around type ones of these show the wing, landing gear, nose, engine and cockpit interior.
Line drawings show the dashboard, pilot seat and a cutaway of the aircraft’s wiring system.
Heller brand makes a 1/72nd scale kit of the SAAB J-21 and this book will be of great interest to modelers planning on building this kit and to aviation historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of MMP books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web site at:
Highly recommended.