Belgium
Formed December 1920, SABCA had a close SABENA association and that airline used SABCA’s only S.2 single-engined monoplane transport. Built Handley Page 3-engined airliners for SABENA Belgian Congo service; also other private-owner prototypes.

At the end of 1920 the Société Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques (SABCA) was created to ensure the construction, testing and overhaul of aeronautical equipment for the development of civil aviation and air transport (SABENA will be founded three years later). It will begin with the overhaul and overhaul of Belgian Military Aeronautics aircraft, before starting, in 1922, to build foreign aircraft under license.
The first designs and new realizations will be due to members of the staff of SABCA, encouraged and supported by the company. Among others, the moto-aviette Jullien SJ-1 (in 1923), of Henri JULLIEN, engineer director of the design office of the SABCA, and the “Limousine” Demonty-Poncelet of Mathieu DEMONTY (technical director) and Paul PONCELET (head of the wood section) (in 1924).

On his own, but with the support of SABCA, Paul PONCELET designed and built the “Castar” in 1922-1923, then in 1923 the “Vivette”.

SABCA’s first project was a small aeroplane called the Sabca J1, which was powered by the engine of a FN motorcycle. The company also constructed “Sabca” 1500 with a 200 HP engine and some gliders. It later assembled the Handley-Page, Fokker F VII, and the Savoia-Marchetti used by Sabena. Held Breguet and Avia licences, and from 1927 directed attention to metal construction. Outcome was S-XI 20- passenger monoplane with three 500 hp engines, as well as similar S-XII 4-passenger monoplane with three 120 hp engines. Built under license Renard R.31 reconnaissance monoplane and Savoia-Marchetti S.73 transport.

In October 1937, the Belgian aircraft manufacturer Société Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques (SABCA) made a marketing agreement with the Italian company Caproni, with SABCA selling some of Caproni’s military aircraft in certain markets, including the Caproni Ca.135, Ca.310 and the Ca.312, which were to be designated SABCA S.45bis, S.46 and S.48 respectively. As part of this agreement, Caproni were to develop a replacement for the Belgium Air Force’s Fairey Fox biplanes, which were used as two-seat fighters and reconnaissance aircraft, but were obsolete.

Built S.47 2-seat low-wing monoplane fighter of 1937 in collaboration with Caproni. Company revived in 1950s. In 1960s assembled, maintained, and repaired Republic F-84; also collaborated with Avions Fairey on Hawker Hunter and made Vautour components for Sud- Aviation. Much work of various kinds on Lockheed Starfighter, Dassault Mirage, and Breguet Atlantic; also missile and space activities. Dassault Aviation took 53 percent shareholding, while in 1998 Fokker’s shareholding was then reportedly being sold. Recent work has included weapon system integration, development of the cockpit front panel, final assembly, and flight testing of Belgian ArmyA-109 helicopters; update of F-5s; production and upgrading of F-16s; upgrade of Mirage 5s and F1s; production of servo actuators; and construction of subassemblies for Dassault, Boeing, Airbus, and Fokker aircraft.

Svenska Aero
AB Svenska Järnvägsverkstäderna (ASJA)
Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebogalet (SAAB)

Svenska Aero, as a subsidiary of Heinkel, was taken over by AB Svenska Järnvägsverkstäderna (ASJA) in 1932.

The Bofors Company at Trollhattan formed in 1937 Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebogalet (SAAB). Following its merger in 1939 with the AB Svenska Jarnvagsverkstadernas Aeroplanavdelning (AJSA). In 1939 amalgamated with Aircraft Division of Svenska Jarnvagsverkstaderna and moved main establishment to Linkoping. From 1950 acquired other important facilities, including underground factory at Linkoping.

Built 82 Tiger Moth, 43 Hawker Hart, 11 NA-16-4M, FW-44, and Northrop 8A-5 under licence.

In 1945, in the hope of a lasting peace, the Company decided to scale down its production of military aircraft and to develop its civilian operations – a change in policy signified by the ap¬pearance of the Saab 90 Scandia airliner and the Saab 92 car.

Name changed to Saab Aktiebolag May 1965; Malmo Flygindustri became a subsidiary in 1967; in 1968 merged with Scania-Vabis group to became Saab-Scania. Current name Saab Group, comprising five main divisions: Saab AB, Saab Dynamics AB for guided weapons and electronics, Saab Training Systems AB, Saab Aircraft AB for marketing and supporting commercial aircraft, and Saab Combitech AB. Saab AB parent division established January 1997 to combine activities of previous Saab Military Aircraft, Saab Aircraft and Saab Service Partner, and develops and manufactures military and commercial aircraft within business units known as Gripen, General Military Aircraft, Future Products and Technology, Operations Commercial Aircraft, and Collaborative Programs.

First airplanes were license-built Junkers Ju 86K twin-engined bombers, Northrop-Douglas dive-bombers (Douglas 8A-1, similar to the US Army Air Corps’ A-17) and North American NA-16 trainers. First own-design production aircraft was Saab 17 dive-bomber of 1940, used widely and 60 delivered to Ethiopia from 1947. Saab 18 was twin-engined bomber of 1942, some late examples of which had ejection seats. Saab 21A of 1943 was piston-engined single-seat fighter, and 21-R was jet development of the same aircraft. Saab 29 was the so-called “flying barrel” swept-wing jet fighter, in production until 1956, while Saab 32 Lansen of 1952 was swept-wing fighter/attack/reconnaissance two-seater. Saab 35 Draken “double-delta” fighter appeared in 1955, and a squadron remained active as interceptors until 1999. Saab 105 of 1963, a twin-jet light side-by-side two-seater armed multipurpose aircraft, still in use as a trainer in 1999; Swedish Air Force aircraft have just undergone an upgrade with new engines and thus redesignated Sk 60W. Saab 37 Viggen multirole combat aircraft, first flown February 1967, has foreplane and delta wings, and with its STOL capability remains a very potent weapon system. Produced for service between 1971 and 1990, it has been continuously upgraded; redelivered in latest upgraded form 1998 for continued service in JA 37 interceptor and AJS 37 attack/interceptor/maritime-reconnaissance variants. Latest combat aircraft is Saab AB Gripen JAS 39 Gripen, first flown December 1988 and taken into Swedish Air Force service from 1996. Grippen is the world’s first combat aircraft of the new-generation type and the first to combine the roles of interceptor, attack, and reconnaissance in a single aircraft (all as primary roles) by the adoption of push-button control to select the required function in the computer programs of the totally integrated avionics suite.

Civil types have included Saab 90 Scandia twin-engined 32-passenger transport (first flown November 1946); Saab 91 Safir all-metal 3/4-seater (first flown November 1945); two/three-seat high-wing Safari (first flown in July 1969) and its military Supporter development (first flown 1972). In production until 1999 has been the Saab 340 turboprop regional transport (first flown January 1983, and finally produced in 340B and BPIus variants with accommodation for up to 37 passengers) and the Saab 2000 50/58-seat turboprop regional airliner (first flown March 1992). Saab has also developed an airborne early warning and control variant of the 340B airliner as the S100B Argus (first flight of AEW&C prototype with overfuselage radar July 1994), plus a search-and-rescue variant for the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency as the SAR-200 (delivered 1997).