Aarne Lakomaa

Who was Aarne Lakomaa?

Aarne Lakomaa was a Finnish aircraft designer. Born in Finland, Lakomaa graduated from Helsinki Polytechnics. He fought as an Army Lieutenant in the Winter War and the Continuation War against the Soviet Union. There he became famous for fitting captured Russian engines to the obsolete French fighter Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, thereby creating a first rate fighter, the Mörkö-Morane.

Lakomaa was recruited to Saab in 1944 as an aircraft designer. He was involved in the development of the fighters Saab 35 Draken and Saab 37 Viggen, and later headed R&D at Saab where he designed a number of prototypes, including a rocket propelled interceptor, nuclear weapon carriers, replacements for the Draken and Viggen, and a supersonic business jet.