SABCA Tonnerre & the English Electric Swallow

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Dateline  1960
Location Congo

In the early 1950s the Belgian government came under increasing pressure to allow the Belgian Congo to become a self-governing state. Belgium had ratified article 73 of the United Nations Charter, which advocated self-determination, and both superpowers put pressure on Belgium to reform its Congo policy. The Belgian government's response was largely dismissive. However, Belgian professor A.J. van Bilsen, in 1955, published a treatise called Thirty Year Plan for the Political Emancipation of Belgian Africa. The timetable called for gradual emancipation of the Congo over a thirty year period - the time Van Bilsen expected it would take to create an educated elite who could replace the Belgians in positions of power.

Faced with demands for earlier independence , the Belgian government announced constitutional reforms intended to bring more Congolese into government, but only in an advisory capacity. They also indicated that the end result of the process would eventually be independence. With this plan the Belgians hoped to satisfy the demands of the more moderate Congolese for inclusion in the political process while neutralizing the more extreme Congolese nationalists with the promise of eventual independence. The end result was the opposite of what was intended. There was a surge of political activity, over fifty political parties were registered, nearly all of them based on tribal groups. Nationalist demands grew more extreme as parties competed with each other. There was f rioting in Stanleyville in October.  By November 1959, much of the lower Congo was beyond the control of Belgian authorities.  The Belgium government dispatched military forces to Congo to help stabilise the situation including Tonnerre fighters and Swallow FIghter-bombers

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SABDCA Tonnerre set a speed record of 2,170 km/h (1,170 kn, 1,350 mph, Mach 2.04) in April 1956.
A supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor.

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 The English Electric Swallow was a supersonic Mach 2  fighter-bomber . Originally designed as a single-seat, nuclear-attack aircraft, a two-seat version was later developed for use in the specialized Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role against surface-to-air missile sites.

The Swallow was  armed with missiles and a cannon. A carrier-based variant was also planned for French service, but this was cancelled in favour of the cheaper Dassault Super Étendard.

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[Spey_Phantom]

as a Belgian, i like these aircraft, everything looks good in Belgian roundels