Baltic Air Policing – Halfway Through the Mission
Szöveg: Péter Snoj | 2015. november 6. 16:00The first Hungarian contingent in the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission has been serving for more than two months now. After reaching the halfway point of the four-month mission, according to plans, some members of the contingent have been rotated out. On Thursday, 5th November, the newcomers – who are deployed to relieve the personnel returning home – flew from the HDF 59th “Dezső Szentgyörgyi” Air Base, Kecskemét, Hungary to Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania aboard two An-26 transport planes.
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The 39th rotation of the Baltic Air Policing took over lead of the mission from the outgoing Italian and Norwegian contingents on 1st September 2015, and continued guarding the common airspace of the Baltic countries. The Hungarian Air Force has been performing such a task for the first time. This has been the first time since World War II that Hungarian fighter pilots and ground crews are being stationed on a foreign air base, flying training (Tango) and live (Alpha) scrambles.
During the tour of duty, Siauliai Air Base is hosting four Hungarian JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets and more than 90 members of the rotation. Lt.-Col. Tamás Fekete, the commander of the contingent told us that both the air and the ground crews would be rotated, so that as far as possible, every airman can learn lessons during the four months of the mission.
Photos by the author
