History

The Saab 105 is a Swedish high-wing, twin-engine trainer aircraft developed in the early sixties as a private venture by Saab AB. The Swedish Air Force issued the aircraft with the designation Sk 60.

The Sk 60 entered service in 1967, replacing the aging De Havilland Vampire fleet. The Swedish Air Force bought a total of 150 aircraft and another 40 were exported to Austria, designated Saab 105Ö. The Saab 105 is also the aircraft used by Swedish Air Force display team Team 60 and was formerly used by two display teams of the Austrian Air Force, "Karo As" and "Silver Birds".

Development

Saab 105 was initiated by Saab in 1959 as a private venture in military and civil aircraft. As a military aircraft, the 105 could be operated as a jet trainer, conduct aerial reconnaissance and ground attack, and had a limited interceptor capability. The 105 was one of the few small European aircraft to be equipped with turbofan, which was reported to be of interest to prospective business customers.

On 29 June 1963 the first prototype conducted its maiden flight. The flight test program soon revealed the type to have good handling qualities and to be capable of performing aerobatic maneuvers. On the 6th of March 1965, the Swedish Air Force got an order from the Swedish Government for an initial of 130 Saab 105 aircraft. There were three principle variants, the Sk 60A for training and liaison duties using a four-seat configuration, the Sk 60B for light attack missions in a twin sideby-side seating configuration, and the Sk 60C dual-role attack and reconnaissance aircraft, equipped with various cameras in the aircraft's nose.

Operational history

In July 1967, the first pilots started training on the Saab 105. During the 1990s, the Turbomeca Aubisque engines of the Swedish Air Force's SK 60 fleet were replaced with newly-built Williams International FJ44 engines, which were lighter and less costly to operate. In November 1993, a contract was signed for the re-engining of 115 aircraft. The number of aircraft to be upgraded was subsequently reduced as a result of cuts to the defense budget.The replacement was performed as a lowcost measure to fulfill the Swedish Air Force's continuing requirement for a primary trainer aircraft. In September 1996, the first of these upgraded aircraft, which had been redesignated as the Sk 60W, was re-delivered to the Swedish Air Force.