Saab 37 Viggen

by Richard J. Caruana

Published 28 September 2021
Internationally renowned aviation artist and historian Richard J. Caruana provides a tribute to an often under-appreciated aviation legend, the Saab 37 Viggen, an aircraft that was ahead of its time on many fronts.

Richard's book provides a brief history of the aircraft combined with an exceptional collection of over 56 colour profiles showing schemes worn by Viggens operationally, as well as the special celebratory schemes that became so familiar towards the end of the aircraft's career. Each profile is accompanied by a detailed caption and a brief operational history.

A page of detailed scale drawings illustrates and explains the different versions of the Viggen and another page illustrates unit markings worn by the types illustrated in the colour profiles.

Maltese aviation artist and historian Richard J. Caruana, who started his career just over 50 years ago, celebrates this special milestone with a work dedicated to his own country's struggle for survival during the Second World War.

Three battles during WWII were decided in the air and changed the course of history: the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Malta, and the Battle of Midway. The heroic resistance of the tiny Mediterranean Island denied Rommel and his troops vital supplies, with the result that by the end of 1942, Axis forces were driven out of North Africa.

When the Allies won a firm foothold on Sicily, Malta could finally breathe a sigh of relief and it became a stepping-stone for the movement of thousands of troops, aircraft and naval forces to the new frontline in Italy. A short narrative gives an outline of the air battle's history which is then illustrated with close to 200 colour profiles and other drawings.