On 11 July 1969 Saab flew the prototype (SE-301) of a two/three-seat civil/military trainer or general utility aircraft allocated the designation Saab-MFI 15.

Developed at Malmö Flygindustri, it was powered by a 119 kW Avco Lycoming IO-320-B2 flat-four engine and with a conventional low-set tailplane.

On 26 February 1971 the prototype was flown with the more powerful Avco Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 air-cooled flat-4 piston engine, which became the standard powerplant for the production version, now designated as the Saab Safari.

A trainer based on the Safari's design was built in kit form for assembly in Pakistan as the Mushshak, with 92 aircraft delivered to the Pakistani Air Force.

[2] Denmark Norway Pakistan Sierra Leone Zambia Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77[4]General characteristics Performance