JAS39 the Little Plane that Could

In the 1980s, the Swedish Air Force was quite inspired by the successful experience of its foreign counterparts, so it greenlit its own development program for a multirole combat aircraft. At the time, many planes of this class resembled a Swiss army knife, combining a bomber, a fighter, and a reconnaissance aircraft in one vehicle. Sweden wanted a versatile aircraft, too, but it had a few unique requirements of its own.