View source for A21A-3

{{About
| about = Swedish fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = J21 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=saab_a21a_3
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_saab_a21a_3.jpg
}}

== Description ==
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
<!--Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.-->
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

The A21A-3 has a poor climb rate and fairly low acceleration, making it ineffective as an energy or boom-and-zoom fighter unless you commit to a side climb. The aircraft has great turning characteristics at almost all speeds, and maintains speed in horizontal turns well enough, though it will stall quickly in any vertical manoeuvres. The aircraft maintains most of its turning ability with heavy loads, but suffers greatly in climb ability. If you wish to take an altitude advantage, forgo any loads. 

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 4,300 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 616 || 599 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 21.0 || 21.9 || 12.6 || 12.6 || rowspan="2" | 300
|-
! Upgraded
| 666 || 640 || 19.0 || 20.0 || 19.0 || 15.5
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X     <!-- ✓ -->
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 445 || 425 || 325 || ~11 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 450 || < 390 || < 420 || > 715
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
[[File:J21 Armour Plating.png|450px|thumb|right|Protective components found in the '''{{PAGENAME}}'''.]]
<!-- ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' -->
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

* 10 mm steel - Firewall armour plate
* 10 mm steel - Firewall cover armour plate
* 10 mm steel - Pilot's back armour plate
* 60 mm bulletproof glass
* Engine fire system (EFS) 

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
!CCIP (Guns)!!CCIP (Rockets)!!CCIP (Bombs)!!CCRP (Bombs)
|-
|{{Cross}}||{{Cross}}||{{Cross}}||{{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
<!-- ''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.'' -->
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|Akan m/45 (20 mm)|Akan m/39A (13.2 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 20 mm Akan m/45 cannon, nose-mounted (140 rpg)
* 2 x 13.2 mm Akan m/39A machine guns, nose-mounted (350 rpg = 700 total)
* 2 x 13.2 mm Akan m/39A machine guns, wing-mounted (325 rpg = 650 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
<!-- ''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' -->
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|sb m/47 (50 kg)|mb m/40 (250 kg)|mb m/41 (500 kg)|mb m/50 (600 kg)}}
{{main|hprak m/49|psrak m/49A|srak m/51}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 4 x 50 kg sb m/47 bombs (200 kg total)
* 1 x 250 kg mb m/40 bomb (250 kg total)
* 1 x 500 kg mb m/41 bomb (500 kg total)
* 1 x 600 kg mb m/50 bomb (600 kg total)
* 8 x psrak m/49A rockets
* 8 x srak m/51 rockets
* 2 x hprak m/49 rockets

== Usage in battles ==
<!--Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).-->

Boasting extremely good turning characteristics, a stable platform, decent speed and accurate, powerful guns, the A21A-3 is an extremely effective aircraft for both dogfighting and ground attack duties. The Swedish 13.2 mm Akan m/39A guns are devastating to lighter aircraft thanks to their anti-air belts with plentiful HE, and the nose mounted 20 mm cannon makes short work of larger targets as long as you are accurate. In air-to-air battles, the aircraft is best suited to catch opponents low on energy. Only a few aircraft at its BR are able to turn as well as the A21A-3 at low altitude, and the aircraft remains stable even in low speed turns to keep guns on target. It is wise to keep fights short though, as the A21A-3 is a terrible climber, and is an easy target for boom and zoom fighters if engaged in a fight.

On the other hand, the A21A-3 makes for an extremely effective ground-and-pound aircraft, capable of destroying an enemy base with its 600 kg bomb in some air RB game modes, access to some of the best rockets weight-for-weight at its battle rating, and a significant amount of ammunition for its guns to attack ground units. The aircraft's low speed stability makes short dipping attack runs on ground units easy, and the good firepower means you don't have to stay on target for too long. 

It is important to take care that enemy aircraft do not get a chance to attack you from behind, however. The A21A-3, as a pusher aircraft, can be brought down quickly when tailed. The engine is poorly armoured, with a tiny water and oil reserve and runs at a high temperature. Additionally, there is a fuel tank between the cockpit and engine which will not survive even a glancing hit. If you are attacked and suffer an oil or water leak you will need to land at your base as quickly as possible, the engine will burn out within minutes of an overheat. The large control surface of the tail is also a vulnerability. 

In ground RB, the aircraft can perform well at almost any BR, as its 600 kg bomb can be used effectively to clear points and entrenched enemy tanks of any size with a whopping 18 m destruction range, with a fighter's SP cost it can be an invaluable CAS asset to a team. 
[[File:A21A-3 flying over a body of water.jpg|thumb|A21A-3 flying]]

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->

'''Pros:'''

* Quite manoeuvrable, even with wing-tip fuel tanks
* A stable flying platform, does not stall in level flight even with the throttle set to zero
* Engine protected from head-on attacks
* Most armament is nose-mounted
* Armed with extremely powerful 13.2 mm guns with decent ammunition pool and destructive AA belts
* Access to powerful and accurate rockets and devastating bombs for ground RB
* 600 kg bomb can destroy an enemy base in some air RB game modes.

'''Cons:'''

* Pusher aircraft, engine mounted facing rear, exposed to enemy aircraft which may follow
* Required to set convergence due to wing-mounted machine guns
* Terrible climb rate, despite decent acceleration
* Loses speed in vertical manoeuvres extremely quickly
* Lacks airbrake
* Fragile and vulnerable engine from rear attacks, even water or oil leaks will tend to cause the aircraft to crash as the engine burns out quickly.
* Engine overheats quickly when on WEP

== History ==
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
[[File:A21A-3 Museum.jpg|thumb|400x400px|SAAB A21A-3 on display at Söderhamn /F15 Aviation Museum, Söderhamn, Sweden]]
The [[J21 (Family)|SAAB 21]] was a twin-boom propeller fighter used by the Swedish air force. A unique design, it had a pusher-configuration engine and a twin-boom tail, giving it a very unique appearance. The A21A-3 was a variant of the SAAB 21, designed for ground attack. As a result, it was equipped with a bomb sight, and was able to carry suspended ordnance and a RATO (Rocket-assisted takeoff) pod. 66 A21A-3 aircraft were built between 1947 and 1949, and served as the primary ground attacker until the introduction of more capable jet aircraft.<ref name=":0">Aceto, G. (2019)</ref>

=== Design and development ===
In the early 1940s, it was apparent that Sweden badly needed a new fighter aircraft. Thus, Sweden ordered SAAB to design a new aircraft based on the German Daimler-Benz DB 601, 603 or 605 engine. At that time, the German and Swedish had a series of neutrality agreements, allowing Sweden to import the German-made aircraft engines.<ref name=":0" /> One radical configuration considered was a twin-boom aircraft, similar to the P-38 Lightning, but with a single rear-mounted engine in pusher configuration. However, SAAB was initially asked to instead produce the J23, a more conventional aircraft design.<ref name=":0" />

In late 1941, the Swedish air ministry reverted on its previous decision and asked the SAAB firm to produce the J21 design. Thus, design work progressed through 1942 and 1943. The final prototype featured a twin-boom wing with a single DB-605B engine, and carried a main armament of one 20 mm cannon along with four 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. The first prototype flew in mid-1943, but was quickly revealed to have inferior performance to the [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]], [[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]] and [[P-51 (Family)|P-51]] Mustang. However, 484 aircraft were ordered anyway.<ref name=":0" />

In 1945, SAAB began designing a series of second-generation J21 aircraft designed specifically for the air-to-ground role. This resulted in the A21A-3. The aircraft had a bombsight, and was able to use RATO (Rocket-assisted takeoff) pods, bombs or rockets. The Swedish Air Force eventually ordered 66 aircraft between 1947 and 1949.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Editors of Military Wikia. (2020)</ref>

=== Operational History ===
The A21A entered service in 1947, but had an extremely short service life. The aircraft's poor performance and relative obsolescence meant that it served for an extremely short time. The 66 A21 aircraft built were quickly replaced by the more modern [[J29 (Family)|J29]] Tunnan and British de Havilland [[J28B|Vampire]]. The last A21A aircraft were retired in 1954. However, it is worth noting that SAAB also experimented with coupling a jet engine to the J21 airframe; this resulted in the [[A21RB]], a unique aircraft coupling the J21's fuselage with a de Havilland Ghost engine.<ref name=":1" /> Three A21A aircraft survive, all kept in Swedish museums.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

== Media ==
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->

;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=saab_a21a_3 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|KmZ265375S0|'''A21A-3 "Is everything in this tree broken!?" PLANES''' - ''WeadraPlays''}}

== See also ==
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->

;Related development

* [[J21 (Family)]]

;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* [[SM.91]]
* [[SM.92]]
* [[S.O.8000 Narval]]

== External links ==
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.'' -->

* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/474726-saab-j21a-1/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* Aceto, G. (2019, July 19). The Saab J21. Retrieved November 20, 2020, from <nowiki>https://articles.historynet.com/the-saab-j21.htm</nowiki>
* Editors of Military Wikia. (2020). SAAB 21. Retrieved November 20, 2020, from <nowiki>https://military.wikia.org/wiki/SAAB_21</nowiki>

{{AirManufacturer Saab}}
{{Sweden fighters}}