Sweden’s Saab JA-37 Viggen: The Fighter That Could ‘Radar Lock’ the Mach 3 SR-71 Blackbird

Sweden’s Saab JA-37 Viggen: The Fighter That Could ‘Radar Lock’ the Mach 3 SR-71 Blackbird

Key Points and Summary – Lockheed’s SR-71 was designed to be untouchable—fast, high, and hard to see. Over the Baltic, however, Sweden’s Saab JA-37 Viggen proved uniquely capable of radar-locking and visually intercepting Blackbirds that ran the “Baltic Express.” Meticulous training and avionics gave Viggen pilots multiple successful “hot” merges. SR-71 Blackbird. Image Credit: Creative Commons. -In 1987, after an SR-71 lost an engine and descen…