Swedes Consider New Fighter To Counter Soviet Land Threat
Swedish defense planners are considering full-scale development of a small attack fighter as a means to counter what they consider their new primary threat: a Soviet land invasion designed to secure the northern Norwegian coastline in order to control the ice-free approaches to the vast military complex at Murmansk. The Swedish theory is that the primary threat has shifted from a naval invasion of the Norwegian coast to a swift land invasion across both Finland and Sweden. The invading force would consist of large numbers of tanks and mechanized armored vehicles.
“The Russians must take Sweden to take Norway. They must take Norway to protect Murmansk, which is the largest military base in the world,” according to a Swede who is knowledgeable about the new threat assessment.
The attack aircraft, with the project designation Saab-Scania B3LA, would be designed to operate from secondary highways,and would be dispersed along potential invasion routes. It could take off and land from roads 40 ft. wide and 5,000 ft. long. It would be equipped with a self—starting unit and would be fueled from pre-positioned tanks on small, side roads.
B3LA as now envisioned would be armed with a cannon, cluster bombs, the Hughes Maverick antiradar missile and other antiarmor missiles. The configuration has not been frozen, but the design philosophy calls for small visual, radar and infrared signatures. It would be equipped with forward-looking infrared sensors for day and night target acquisition.
The B3LA will become the central issue in Sweden’s plans for an extensive modernization of its defenses over the next 15 years. Planners have concluded that the land invasion threat can be met only by dispersed attack fighters and they believe that armed helicopters would be too vulnerable to counter the threat. Competing for the attack mission are the B3LA and the JA37-A20 attack version of the Saab-Scania JA37 Viggen.
Although the Swedish air force would like a mixture of both the small B3LA and the JA37-A20, the lS-year defense plan calls for total procurement expenditures of about $5 billion, and both aircraft could not be developed under this ceiling, which includes $2 billion for the attack fighter.
B3LA proponents argue that nine squadrons of this aircraft could be acquired within this ceiling, for a total of 150 aircraft. The funds would cover procurement of six JA37-A20 squadrons. They further argue that the new Viggen version is a big target, and “we can’t afford to fly low with a big aircraft.”
The Swedish government has appropriated Approximately $70 million for the attack aircraft program. Of this, $55 million is earmarked for continuing studies Into the B3LA and JA37-A20 and $15 million for the B3LA engine, scheduled to be selected next month.
Competing are nonafterburning versions of the General Electric F404, the Pratt & Whitney F100 and the Turbo Union RB.199. The engine
would be produced in Sweden under license by Volvo Flygmotor. Funding will carry the attack aircraft studies to July, 1979, when the decision will be made on which option to follow. It is expected that, at the least, the B3LA will be ordered into production as a replacement for the Saab 105 as a trainer in the late 1980s. Under present planning, of the nine B3LA squadrons envisioned, seven would be equipped with single-seat attack aircraft and two with dual seat trainer/attack fighters.
L. M. Ericsson, the Swedish avionics company, already has produced an initial FLIR unit designated FU-l and it is being test flown on a JA37 Viggen. The system incorporates an infrared camera, movable platform, signal processing units with automatic target designations, power units and displays. Both head-up and head-down displays are larger and more advanced than those in the Viggen.
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Swedish Missiles and Missile Projects.