Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Swedish fighters in the Congo.....

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Swedish fighters in the Congo.....

    Hi there,
    there's a very interesting article in the latest Aeroplane Monthly about the Swedish SAAB J-29 Tunnan fighter, which served them for about 30 years, including a stint in the Congo.They served alongside the Indians and Ethiopians in providing air cover and carrying out air strikes, including the destruction of the Fouga that plagued the Irish. In the end, they actually blew up four of them rather than ferry them home again! Shoulda given em to us!
    regards
    GttC

  • #2
    The 20mm guns in the Tunnan were recycled after they were retired and used on the Pbv-302 APC , and are still in service.


    As for Tunnans in air corps colours, in 1994 the department was offered the the casa that they leased in the interim prior to the delivery of their two they had ordered for £2 million, a gift at the time, and they turned it down.
    Last edited by paul g; 20 September 2009, 23:26.

    Comment


    • #3
      Some info on the air input to the Congo: http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_182.shtml
      You will never have a quiet world until you knock the patriotism out of the human race

      Comment


      • #4
        The Saab J29 Tunnans (Barrels) were getting on a bit by the end of the Congo affair, so maybe it was easier to scrap them there rather than go the bother of bringing them home to the boneyard.



        The Swedish Air Force's Historic Flight includes a flying Tunnan. Apparently it was quite tricky to fly, especially at slow speeds, and several pilots were killed in its early days of service in the 1950s. Hard to believe that at that time, the Swedish Air Force was the fourth largest in the world.

        Comment


        • #5
          They might have been borderline-obsolescent but given what the Don bought later, rebuilt Fougas from the Congo, at least they'd have had a bit of punch, speed and give a sense of providing actual air cover. 250 was a great bird and a true loss when it was declined.
          regards
          GttC

          Comment


          • #6
            Did we have the Vampires at that time?

            Comment


            • #7
              Yep - the Vamps arrived in 56.

              The J-29 would have been a step up from that, with its swept wings and DH Ghost engine - and I'm guessing the techs at Bal would have had a decent working knowledge of the Ghost from the outset due to its similarity to the Goblin

              An interesting what if certainly - maybe the modelers could make one up

              Left service with the Austrians in 72 and stayed on as a tug in Sweden till 74 - which is verging on the Magister era of the Air Corps..
              Last edited by pym; 21 September 2009, 13:52.

              Comment


              • #8
                They are a nice looking beast

                is there any left flying in the world today
                Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
                Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
                The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere***
                The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
                The best lack all conviction, while the worst
                Are full of passionate intensity.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by hedgehog View Post
                  They are a nice looking beast

                  is there any left flying in the world today


                  complete with dodgy enya theme in tune with the "what if"

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    for some reason

                    pictures are not opening on my machine

                    all i see is a big white box

                    with a tiny box in the top left corner.
                    Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
                    Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
                    The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere***
                    The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
                    The best lack all conviction, while the worst
                    Are full of passionate intensity.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by hedgehog View Post
                      for some reason

                      pictures are not opening on my machine

                      all i see is a big white box

                      with a tiny box in the top left corner.
                      hmm it's a youtube link - maybe you need to update flashplayer:



                      or your web browser

                      if you can normally watch youtube videos - just go to youtube.com and type in "j29 tunnan" there are a few videos - the one i linked to above is from a recent flight

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by easyrider View Post
                        The Saab J29 Tunnans (Barrels) were getting on a bit by the end of the Congo affair, so maybe it was easier to scrap them there rather than go the bother of bringing them home to the boneyard.

                        The production run of the J29, a total of 661 aircraft was completed between 1955, 1956 so the idea that they were of no more use by 1964 is a little wide of the mark.

                        It is more likely that with over 600 aircraft in service and the Saab Draken in full production they were simply not needed.

                        An interesting idea, that could have begun a long lasting relationship with Saab and a very politically acceptable one for neutral Ireland at the height of the cold war.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          The 20mm guns in the Tunnan were recycled after they were retired and used on the Pbv-302 APC , and are still in service
                          We might not have got the Tunnans but we took from the idea.

                          20mms fitted to Vampires were retro fitted to Landsverk Armoured cars , not all that success full as the cyclic rate had to be reduced causing frequent jamming.


                          were of no more use by 1964 is a little wide of the mark
                          .

                          Was an article done on these particular Aircraft in 'Flypast' a few years ago and the simplest answer is they were knackered. Early jets had a very low life span especialy when used with the intensity that The J 29 s would have been used in the Congo. The engines alone would have been under sevre pressure as they were operating in conditions that they were not designed for...heat and dry air being problematic as the engines were expected to deliver a higher level of power just to get the aircraft into the air.This meant that the engines alone were subject to conditions that halved their life span.

                          Realistically Aircraft deployed in a hostile envoirnment have a definite life span depending on the level of operation.Our Fougas were used ona needs must basis and were very well looked after for their life cycle, had they been deployed with any overseas mission their life span would have been afraction of that here.

                          As for 250 , if nothing else at the price she would have been a bonus. If they had got another five years out of her at the levels she was being used she would have paid for herself.

                          I always thought it a great pity they never retained the colour scheme as opposed to the 'Persuader Blue 'on the two newer ones
                          Last edited by hptmurphy; 21 September 2009, 14:57.
                          Covid 19 is not over ....it's still very real..Hand Hygiene, Social Distancing and Masks.. keep safe

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Looks vaguely like a MiG 21 to me...
                            "Well, stone me! We've had cocaine, bribery and Arsenal scoring two goals at home. But just when you thought there were truly no surprises left in football, Vinnie Jones turns out to be an international player!" (Jimmy Greaves)!"

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by pym View Post
                              hmm it's a youtube link - maybe you need to update flashplayer:



                              or your web browser

                              if you can normally watch youtube videos - just go to youtube.com and type in "j29 tunnan" there are a few videos - the one i linked to above is from a recent flight

                              that worked thanks.
                              Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
                              Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
                              The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere***
                              The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
                              The best lack all conviction, while the worst
                              Are full of passionate intensity.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X