early doubts over the availability of a suitable
aluminium alloy, similar to the American 75S alloy,
Svenska Metallverken was able to manufacture
the suicient grade of sheet metal. The structure
employed a complicated mixture of stressed skin
and heavy frames in order to meet conlicting
requirements on space, strength, rigidity and
accessibility. By February 1946, the main outline
of the proposed aircraft had been clearly deined,
and the Swedish Air Force requested that work
commence to verify the performance particulars
and provide solutions for essential production
queries on the project. In Autumn 1946,
following the resolution of all major questions
of principal and the completion of the project
speciication, the Swedish Air Force formally
ordered the completion of the design and that
three-prototype aircraft be produced, giving the
proposed type the designation J 29.
Some problems were encountered during
the static testing of a full-scale experimental
mock-up of the front portion of the aircraft,
including leaks within the experimental
pressure cabin and concerns regarding
the behaviour of the ailerons, leading to
a hydraulic system being installed to solve the
latter issue. However, faults were encountered
with the aileron servomotors which delayed
the irst light of the irst prototype, which had
been originally intended to take place prior
to 1 August 1948. On 1 September 1948, the
irst of the Saab 29 prototypes conducted
its maiden light, which lasted for half an hour.
The test pilot for this irst light of the type was
Squadron Leader Robert A. ‘Bob’ Moore, who
subsequently went on to become the irst
managing director of Saab GB Ltd. Following the
light, Moore described the aircraft as being ‘on
the ground an ugly duckling – in the air a swift.’
Because of the shape of its fuselage, the Saab
J 29 quickly received the nickname ‘Flygande
Tunnan’ (‘The Flying Barrel’), or ‘Tunnan’ (‘The
Barrel’) for short. A total of four prototypes
were built for the aircraft’s test program. The
irst two lacked armaments, carrying heavy
test equipment in their place instead; while theMODEL AIRCRAFT AUGUST 2019COMBAT ZONE – SAAB TUNNAN
COMBFIGHTING AT ZONECOLOURS^13