Hungary gets 4 more Gripen jets

[Levente]

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will held a joint press conference in the Carmelite Monastery after their meeting, where the hungarian prime minister said:

"An agreement has been reached to expand the Gripen fighter-bomber fleet of the Hungarian Defense Forces with four additional aircraft - Viktor Orbán announced."

They will also extend the logistics contract and extend it to training. Saab and the Defense Innovation Research Institute open a joint center focusing on artificial intelligence, cooperation in the field of research and development begins.

https://index.hu/belfold/2024/02/23/orb ... opai-unio/

[michel N]

And in exchange Hungary will finally ratify Swedens NATO membership? Or is that just coincidence?

[Levente]

And in exchange Hungary will finally ratify Swedens NATO membership? Or is that just coincidence?

The Hungarian Parliament will discuss the ratification on the 26th, next week. Since the ruling party in the past one week, talks favourable of the ratification, and considering today's news, it will be done.

[Levente]

According to the hungarian defence minister

"In addition to the existing 14 JAS-39 Gripen multipurpose combat aircraft, the Hungarian government decided to purchase four more JAS-39Cs. This further strengthens our country's air defense capabilities."

[Glidepath]

so this seems to indicate the Hung. Def. / AF is satisfied with the JAS-39....but FOUR JAS-39s is not much other than compensation for (future) peace losses, or will we see more orders coming in the near future and building a second Hung. AF Gripen-unit?

[Levente]

so this seems to indicate the Hung. Def. / AF is satisfied with the JAS-39....but FOUR JAS-39s is not much other than compensation for (future) peace losses, or will we see more orders coming in the near future and building a second Hung. AF Gripen-unit?

The official Saab announcement says

"Saab is ready to provide additional upgrades and support for the Hungarian fighters beyond 2035."

There were some corridor gossips, that a second squadron will be equiped later, but other than that, nothing was said by officials.

[Levente]

The 4 new jets will arive next year

A new aerospace engineering centre will be established in Budapest by Saab, strengthening Hungary’s role in European combat aircraft development. It will offer major opportunities for Hungarian engineers & boost our air defence capabilities from 14 fighter jets to 18 next year.

https://x.com/FM_Szijjarto/status/19124 ... 2Fpage-566

One of the new hungarian Gripen revealed?

https://x.com/zoltanspox/status/1912493 ... 2Fpage-566

[Levente]

In 2026, the Hungarian Air Force will celebrate 20 years of cooperation with Saab and that Hungary is the proud operator of Gripen JAS-39 fighter jets. By this summer, four new Gripen C aircrafts will be added to the Hungarian Gripen fleet. Ambassador Péter Palóczi and his colleagues viewed these planes during a visit to the Saab factory in Linköping where they held discussions with Saab executives and staff responsible for the Gripen program.

Photo of one of the Gripen:

https://www.facebook.com/HunEmbassy.Sto ... 7Xqu3ARNZl

[Gryni]

Four, wow!

[AndyMarden]

Very tall people! - or a shrunken Gripen variant.