Saab 37 Viggen in German Service — The Nordic Blade of the Luftwaffe (1975–1989)

The so-called Starfighter Crisis of the late 1960s shook the reputation of the Bundesluftwaffe to its core. With over 100 Lockheed F-104G Starfighters lost to accidents, political pressure and public outrage mounted. The Ministry of Defense was forced to reconsider its reliance on a single aircraft type. In 1969, it adopted a new doctrine: “Nie wieder Monokultur” — never again a single-platform fleet.

Following the successful integration of the Saab 35 Draken into German service as a stopgap fighter (introduced in 1967 on Luftwaffe airbases in Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein), attention soon turned to its successor — the innovative Swedish Saab 37 Viggen.

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Evaluation and Decision (1972–1974)

Initial testing began in 1972 at Manching Air Base, where Swedish test crews cooperated with Erprobungskommando 61. The Vigilante-like thrust reverser, canard layout, and short takeoff ability impressed Luftwaffe planners — especially given NATO fears of Soviet runway bombing campaigns. The ability to operate from 3,000-meter stretches of reinforced autobahn proved decisive.

While France offered the Mirage F1 and the United States promoted the F-4E and F-5E, the German Ministry of Defense opted for diversification:

• F-4F Phantom II for air superiority

• Alpha Jet for light strike and training

• Saab 37 Viggen for precision strike and tactical nuclear deterrence

On 14 March 1974, a contract was signed with Saab and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) to produce the majority of aircraft under license as Viggen G (Germany).

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Operational Service

Between 1975 and 1979, a total of 132 Saab 37G Viggens entered service with the Luftwaffe. They were assigned to key Jagdbombergeschwader:

• JaboG 32 (Lechfeld): Conventional strike & anti-runway
• JaboG 34 (Memmingen): Tactical nuclear delivery (US-German custody
• JaboG 41 (Husum): Baltic Sea and North Sea maritime strike
• JaboG 49 (Fürstenfeldbruck): Alpine defense & reserve

Cold War Deployment

During NATO’s annual REFORGER exercises, Viggens frequently practiced low-level terrain masking across southern Germany and the North German Plain. Their distinctive thunderclap of the RM8A engine became a familiar — if unsettling — sound in Bavarian valleys.

In 1979, during the Baltic Incident near Bornholm, two Viggen G from JaboG 41 intercepted and shadowed a Soviet Tu-22M “Backfire” bomber group, marking the first official Luftwaffe–Soviet jet standoff since 1945.

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Replacement and Legacy

By the early 1980s, the multinational Panavia Tornado IDS began to replace the Viggen in frontline service. The final Viggen units were stood down in 1989, just months before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Of the 132 aircraft delivered:

• 11 were lost in accidents, mainly during low-level training

• 4 were sold to Sweden for parts

• 6 were transferred to the Luftwaffe Test Center at Manching

• The rest were scrapped or preserved in museums at Gatow, Berlin, and Neuburg

Though its German service lasted barely 15 years, the Viggen proved highly reliable, safer than the Starfighter, and beloved by its crews for its raw power and STOL capabilities.

 
The model shows a Luftwaffe AJ37G "Viggen" in May 1983.