Wearing an Irving parachute, a Swedish pilot mounts his Tunnan during the UN intervention in the Congo. The jet can just be identified as F22's aircraft E, which was 29393. Photo by: Gilbert Casselsjö / Flygvapenmuseum

'A partial view of the Luluabourg [Kananga] airport, showing some of the Saab J29 jet planes which have just been placed at the disposition of the UN Operation in the Congo (ONUC).' 29398 was one of two J29Bs brought back to Sweden in April 1963 and is preserved. Photo from: United Nations

Pilots of F22, the Swedish UN squadron in Congo, posing in front of one of their jets. At the end of the mission in 1963, seven of the nine J29B fighters, including 29365 / I, were blown up by the Swedes as the non-afterburning J29B was being phased out and the costs of bringing the aircraft home could not be justified. Photo from: Flygvapenmuseum

Flying Barrels over the Congo. 29374 / 22-D was damaged in an accident in March 1963. 29374 and 29393 / E were among the Tunnans blown up by the Swedes before they left, as the J29B variant was being phased out at home. Photo from: Swedish Armed Forces

The Swedish expeditionary squadron in Congo, F22, included two S29C photo reconnaissance Tunnans from late 1962, 29944 / A and 29906 / B.

Unlike most of the J29Bs, the two S29C Tunnans sent to the Congo returned to Sweden and 29944 / 22-A is seen arriving back at its parent unit, F11 reconnaissance wing at Nyköping - Skavsta. The two aircraft had been camouflaged while in Africa.

Escorting a C-46 Commando of Transair Sweden, SE-CFH, during the Congo Crisis. Aircraft 22-G is 29364. It arrived in July 1962 to replace 29440 / 22-G which had an accident at Kamina in March 1962. SE-CFH arrived in Congo in May. Photo by: Gilbert Casselsjö / Flygvapenmuseum

29398 preserved in the Fygvapenmuseum at Malmen served with F22 in the Congo for the United Nations Organisation in the early 1960s.

The United Nations intervened when the province of Katanga tried to separate from the freshly independent Belgian Congo in 1960. Sweden sent a small squadron of Tunnans which saw actual combat against Katangese forces. Swedish roundels were overpainted with white UN markings. A very interesting static exhibit at the Malmen airshow, no longer on display in the adjacent museum.