Saab 24

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Saab 24
Saab 24.png
A simple line drawing of the Saab 24's design.
General information
Type Dive bomber, night fighter
National origin Sweden
Manufacturer SAAB
History
Developed from Saab B18A
FateNever entered service

The Saab 24 was a twin-engine night fighter and dive bomber designed by Svenska Aeroplan AB (SAAB) around the time of the Second World War. It was initially designed to replace the widely-used Saab 18 with the Swedish Air Force but never entered service.

Contents

Design

The Saab 24 was very similar in design to the earlier Saab 18, with the notable exception of its engines. While the Saab 18A was powered by dual Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasps with a max speed of 289 mph, [1] the Saab 24 would have had two stronger Daimler-Benz DB 605s, giving it a higher max speed and better acceleration. Nicknamed the 'Swedish Mosquito' (in reference to the British De Havilland Mosquito), it would've been able to achieve speeds of up to 392 mph at an altitude of 22,000 ft. [2]

Development

The project began in late 1941 and proceeded through much of the design process. This included a full-scale mockup and wind tunnel testing. However, the upgrade of the Saab 18A from the Twin Wasp to the DB605 with the Saab 18B made it unneccessary to switch over production lines to a new aircraft. The project was eventually discontinued in December 1943. [2] [3]

References

  1. "Swedish Wings". Flight and Aircraft Engineer. Penton Media, Inc., Penton Business Media, Inc. 1947-04-03. p. 284. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  2. 1 2 Swedish Wings p. 285
  3. Andersson, Hans G (1989). Saab Aircraft Since 1937. Putnam. pp. 30–31. ISBN   0851778313. Archived from the original on 2023-07-02.