Saab 35 Draken: The Fighter Jet Russia Never Wanted to Battle, nationalinterest.org

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Harrison Kass, defense writer

[…] Actually, the Draken busted through Mach 2. And the Draken had a few other firsts; the first combat aircraft ever designed with a double delta wing configuration, the tailless Draken is the first known aircraft to perform the Cobra maneuver.

The Draken was originally designed as an interceptor aircraft – but was regarded as a capable dogfighter too. During the tense years at the beginning of the Cold War, Sweden had wanted a jet capable of intercepting enemy bombers, as well as engaging enemy fighters. In addition to versatility, the Swedes wanted a jet that could hit Mach 2, could operate in all weather conditions and could operate from Sweden’s unique air base system, Bas 60.
Bas 60 is an air base system that the Swedes developed during the Cold War.
The system is clever, emphasizing the dispersal of Swedish air power across various bases. Basically, Bas 60 was designed to prevent the Swedes from putting all of their eggs (airplanes) in one basket (air bases), hence improving the likelihood of survivability in case of war. Läs artikel
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