Saab B18

Saab B18 History

Sweden remained neutral throughout World War II (1939-1945), but did not turn a blind eye to the deteriorating situation on its borders and elsewhere. This spurred the development of several indigenous weapons, eventually including tanks and fighter jets.

Before the war, the Swedish Air Force managed a fleet of German Junkers Ju 86 aircraft for general fast reconnaissance missions, but by wartime the product had been superseded by newer designs emerging elsewhere. Therefore, an alternative was sought, namely the Saab B18, a three-seat twin-engine aircraft introduced in 1944.

Competing designs that met the requirements were reviewed before Saab received the development contract. The start of World War II in September 1939 delayed work on B18 as resources were allocated to other, more urgent projects. By then, the Luftwaffe authorities had also revised the original requirement to include the role of horizontal bombing, further hindering development as the B 18 was forced to make changes. The result was frequent delays to the first flight on June 19, 1942.

Testing and evaluation continued until the official introduction year of 1944.

Internally, the bomber has been approved to carry up to 2,200 pounds of conventional drop bearings. Local defense was carried out by 2 13.2mm machine guns, one for the bombardier and one for the navigator, while a third 13.2mm machine gun was mounted on a fixed forward-firing bracket at the root of the wing and managed by the pilot.

The first reconnaissance bomber in 1944 was the B-18A, which was equipped with the aforementioned Pratt & Whitney radial engine. 62 prototypes of this type were produced and a photo reconnaissance conversion model called the S 18A and PS 18 radar was produced - from 1946 to 1947 conversion work was carried out on all 62 B18A bombers.

The upcoming B18B became a clear icon for the range, introducing the Daimler-Benz DB605 inline-piston engine with more power and improved versatility. The prototype flew for the first time on July 10, 1944, and 119 were produced thereafter.

In addition to her notable engine modifications, the brand has 8x air-to-surface missiles and an increased bomb load of 3,300 pounds. In Swedish inventory, the B18B is classified as a dive bomber.

The B18B continued to influence the "T-18B" torpedo bomber, but the complexity of the program forced the aircraft to be completed and used as a dedicated ground attack platform. Changes include a 57mm Bofors automatic cannon mounted on the tip as well as 2 x 20mm cannons to provide a powerful offensive "shock".

52 of this type were produced.

Due to Sweden's neutrality in WWII, the B18 never proved itself as a combat platform. It remained in service until the late 1950s, when it was finally scrapped in 1959.

In a later version, the position for the third crew member was eliminated and ejection seats were added for the remaining two crew members due to the aircraft's apparent accident rate. Some of the known service operations of the B 18 aircraft were missile tests by the Swedish Air Force.

The Saab 32 "Lansen" aircraft directly took over the line (detailed elsewhere on this website).

The production time of the B 18 spanned from 1944 to 1948, with a total of 245 aircraft of the Svenska Aeroplan AB brand produced. The design of this system is credited to Frid Wanstrom and Carl Haddon.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes