Baltic Air Policing in Full Swing

“At home, we usually schedule our tasks so that everyone except the QRA personnel on duty can have a little rest during the holidays. Here, we were flying missions non-stop in this period too", Lt.-Col. Tamás Fekete, the commander of the BAP Hungarian detachment told us.

“Since 1 September, we have been on a 24/7 standby, ready to take off at a moment’s notice and execute our tasks. This requires coordinated and smooth professional teamwork all the time. I can proudly state that, thanks to our airmen’s attitude, the reliability of the Gripens, the smooth flow of supplies and the support received from the Lithuanians, no sorties have had to be cancelled so far. I would also like to point out that the servicemen – who spent the holidays far from their families – were doing their job enthusiastically and with motivation, often working in extreme colds of minus 20 degrees Celsius to make sure that the air policing mission is operating efficiently", the commander added.

Their service with the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) – the most significant mission of the Hungarian Air Force in recent decades – is going to end in a week, and the Hungarian airmen serving in Lithuania will transfer the lead nation responsibilities to an incoming Spanish detachment. Looking back on their deployment period, we can say that the Hungarian fighter pilots had opportunities to test their skills under real-world circumstances during the more than 410 flight hours, and all members of the contingent has learned many useful lessons in the mission. Through their performance, our airmen has proven again that NATO can fully count on the Hungarians as reliable allies, and the lessons they recently learnt are a significant contribution to strengthening the defence capabilities of the Hungarian Defence Forces.

Photos by the author