The Saab 36, also known as Projekt 1300 or A-36, represents a significant chapter in Sweden's clandestine nuclear weapons program during the early Cold War. Conceived by Saab AB (originally Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget), the aircraft was designed as a single-seat, supersonic nuclear strike bomber. Its primary mission was to deliver a 600–800 kg free-fall nuclear bomb to targets within the Soviet sphere, including locations in East Germany, Poland, the Baltic states, and Leningrad.
Technically, the Saab 36 was a high-performance design featuring a delta-wing configuration, a layout closely related to the contemporary Saab 35 Draken. To achieve its target speed of approximately Mach 2.14, the aircraft was designed to be powered by two Bristol Olympus turbojet engines, each producing roughly 44 kN (10,000 lbf) of thrust. To maintain aerodynamic efficiency and mitigate heating issues associated with Mach 2 flight, the nuclear payload was to be carried in an internal bomb bay rather than on external hardpoints.
Design specifications varied across studies, but the most consistent data indicates a length of 17 meters and a wingspan of 9.6 meters, with a wing area of 54 m². The aircraft had a projected empty weight of 9,000 kg and a gross weight of 15,000 kg. It was designed to operate at a service ceiling of approximately 18,000 meters (roughly 59,000–60,000 ft), with some technical estimates suggesting a tactical range of about 410 km.
Despite the detailed feasibility studies conducted between 1952 and 1957, the Saab 36 never progressed beyond the drawing board. No prototypes were ever built, and the project was officially cancelled in 1957 due to high costs, technical challenges, and a lack of public support for nuclear weapons. This decision preceded Sweden's formal abandonment of its nuclear weapons program in the late 1960s. While no airframes exist, the project's legacy persists through its influence on later Swedish aviation; the high-speed design experience gained during Projekt 1300 contributed to the development of the Saab 37 Viggen.