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“Good luck, good country.” The Saab 105 OE was officially retired on Friday morning with a final salute from the pilot. Corona and the weather had some guests of honor and also without flight the demonstration of the jets “Tigre” decorated in army gold for the 50th anniversary.
The air surveillance commander, Brigadier Gerfried Promberger, gave the guests, many of whom were also there via live broadcast, an insight into the troubled history of the planes. As early as 1967, Austria had decided to purchase 20 of these Swedish subsonic reactors, and 20 more were added later.
After introductory courses in Hörsching and Sweden, the first three aircraft landed on July 2, 1970 at Vogler Air Base in Hörsching. First, the 1st and 3rd squadrons were stationed at Hörsching, the rest of the machines at Graz-Thalerhof.
From left to right: Brigadier Gerfried Promberger, Speaker of the State Parliament Wolfgang Stanek, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, Chief of Staff, General Robert Brieger Image: HBF / Daniel Trippolt
In 1971, the army had to complain about the total loss of a machine. A total of twelve pilots and two technicians died in accidents in 2003.
Trans-All “intercepted”
How valuable the Saab was for aerial surveillance, which was not really the first priority of the trainer aircraft, became apparent as early as 1973 when a Turkish Transall near Innsbruck was “intercepted” and forced to land. Incidentally, the Saab was piloted by Teja Reichhuber, who later became the pilot’s commander in Hörsching.
The “Austrian Tigers” completed successful missions, among other things, in the transport for the first kidney transplant to Rome (1975) and in the world championships in military aerobatics. In 1974 and 1979 the title went to Austria. Not to forget: a total of 167 military pilots completed their first jet training in the Saab 105 OE.
The commander of the armed forces, Lieutenant General Franz Reissner, stressed the importance of aerial surveillance. Often perceived as a noise nuisance, it is the “Sound of Freedom”. “I would like to see more pride, more recognition and the de facto willingness to provide the necessary resources.”
Saab 105 OE: The Austrian Tigers
- 40 Saab 105 OE They were bought by the Swedish armed forces in 1970. 12 of them are still operational.
- 156,517 flight hours and 254,000 missions have been carried out in the last 50 years. All machines that are still used in aerial surveillance until the end of the year are stationed at the Vogler air base in Hörsching. 13 Saab pilots are being trained to become helicopter pilots in Hörsching (AB 212).
- 12 pilots and two technicians died in an accident with a Saab 105 OE.
- The pilot was successful twice the “105” to win the title in the so-called “World Military Acrobatics Championship” in Great Britain. The so-called “Karo As” tiger relay was also recognized internationally.
Article of
Eike-Clemens Kullmann
Foreign Policy Editor, Weltspiegel
