Saab Gripen (World Fighter Aircraft Collection)

A Saab JAS 39 Gripen ("griffon") of the Czech Air Force coming in for a landing during the 2006 Czech International Air Fair.

The Gripen is a member of the latest generation of light fighters, designed by the Saab aerospace company of Sweden.   Saab has a long history of developing fighters, starting with the unusual Saab 21, which shared the twin-boom configuration of aircraft like the Venom, but used a single pusher propeller.   In a major redevelopment after the war the piston engine was replaced by a jet to produce the Saab 21R.   A string of other jet fighters followed over the years, comprising the Saab 29 Tunnan, Saab 32 Lansen, Saab 35 Draken, Saab 37 Viggen and finally the Gripen.

Sea Vixen (Unusual Aircraft Collection)

The Sea Vixen is a bizarre-looking British naval fighter jet with twin tail booms and a horizontal tail surface mounted at the top of the vertical stabilizers.   Extra fuel tanks were fitted above the wings in an extension of the tail booms.   The cockpit canopy is mounted on the left side of the fuselage, because a radar operator was housed entirely within the fuselage to the right of the pilot.   This radar operator didn't have a canopy, instead he entered the fuselage through a metal hatch to his position, which had only a tiny window.   This compartment was jokingly referred to as the "coal hole" because it was dark, cramped and unpleasant.   It was a dangerous place to be if the plane was shot down or had an accident, because it was very difficult for the radar operator to get out quickly.

Unlike its predecessor the Venom, the Sea Vixen had two engines and was just able to fly faster than the speed of sound.   It was the first British fighter to have no guns, relying entirely on rockets to shoot down enemy aircraft.