The Saab 29 is a Swedish fighter that was designed and manufactured by Saab in the 1940s. It was the first Western European fighter to be produced with a swept wing after the Second World War. The first was the German Messerschmitt Me 262 built during the war.
It was Sweden's second turbojet-powered combat aircraft, the first having been the Saab 21R; additionally, it was the first Western European fighter to be produced with a swept wing after the Second World War, the Me 262 having been the first during the war.
Work on the aircraft commenced in 1945. Designated R 1001 the design had a barrel-like fuselage, giving it a distinctive rotund appearance, from which its name the 'Flygande Tunnan' (The Flying Barrel) is derived. Despite its rotund appearance the J 29 was a fast and agile aircraft for its era. Six hundred and sixty-one where build and it served effectively in both fighter and fighter-bomber roles well into the 1970s.
