While typically intercepts would approach from behind, allowing missiles a better chance to lock on, the Viggen’s Skyflash missile was capable [of] using its radar to lock on from the front, making the head-on attack the Viggen’s only real window for an effective missile lock, as intercepting the Blackbird from behind was an impossible task.”
There’s a potential problem here. The SR-71’s level of stealth from the front was pretty decent for the era. The closure rate would have been extremely high for a firing solution. Could the Viggen’s radar have achieved a lock sufficient to guide the Skyflash missiles to the SR-71? Maybe. The Swedes had a very competent airforce and their equipment was better than the Soviets.
Stealth aircraft reduce detection ranges to search radars, but they also defeat targeting radar wavelengths at shorter ranges. ie. “no lock” This is why a lot of experts are implying that dogfighting is a thing of the past.
They had no intention of shooting down the Blackbird. They were showing us that they could do it as kind of a source of National pride. We were flying through airspace without permission and they could stop it if they wanted to do so.
The Blackbird, the Foxbat, and the Valkyrie are the only jet birds I know of to go Mach 3.
To my knowledge, it was “highly unlikely” under normal circumstances they could have locked on a SR-71. But if they tweaked their radar properly, and I worked with the Swedes and they were/are pretty sharp, I will say it was possible.