The Saab 17 was a Swedish bomber-reconnaissance aircraft.
Development and service
The project was initiated in response to a request in 1938 from the Swedish air force for a reconnaissance aircraft that could replace the Fokker S 6. Design work began at the end of the 1930s as the L 10 by ASJA, but after the merger with Saab in 1939 it was renamed Saab 17. The wings were reinforced to make it possible for use as a dive bomber. Since there was a shortage of engines the aircraft were flown to their destination, where the engines were removed and returned for use by the next delivery. The aircraft was also made in three versions with different engines. Two prototype L-10 aircraft were ordered, the first being powered by a Nohab-built Bristol Mercury XII and the second by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp. The production B 17A used a Swedish-built Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp, the B 17B a Svenska Flygmotor AB -built Bristol Mercury XXIV, and the B 17C a Piaggio P.XI. The aircraft could be fitted with wheels, skis or floats. A unique feature of the Saab 17 was its use of the extended landing gear assembly, with its large covers, as dive brakes.
Operational history
The first test flight was on 18 May 1940 and first deliveries to the Flygvapnet were in 1942. The development of the turbojet meant it had a short service history, but when the B 17 ended Swedish service in 1947–50, 46 were sold to Ethiopia, remaining in service until 1968. Two B 17As were sold to Finland in 1959 and 1960, serving as target tugs for the Finnish Air Force, both succumbing to accidents fairly quickly. For some months from very early 1945 fifteen B 17As were issued to DANFORCE. However, as things unfolded with the German surrender, there was no need for them in the liberation of Denmark, and the aircraft were returned to the Flygvapnet a couple of months after the surrender.
Five SAAB 17s are known to be in existence today. The Swedish Air Force Museum in Linköping has two aircraft in their collection, one S 17BL and one B 17A, the latter being kept in airworthy condition. Another B 17A is on display at the Danish Museum of Science and Technology in Helsingør. Two former Ethiopian B 17As were recovered in the 1990s and purchased by a South African collector. These are last known to have been relocated to Lithuania but their current status is not clear.
