Photo Exhibition Opens on Hungarian Detachment Deployed with Baltic Air Policing Mission
Szöveg: Szabolcs Nyulas | 2016. június 15. 9:00Entitled “Collective Airspace – Collective Task”, an exhibition of photos taken by Lt.-Col. (MD) Dr. István Toperczer – a flight surgeon serving with the HDF 59th “Szentgyörgyi Dezső Air Base” – has opened inside the Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary. On Wednesday, 8 June Maj.-Gen. János Varga, Director of Staff (DOS) of the General Staff delivered an opening speech at the exhibition, which illustrates the role of the Hungarian Defence Forces in the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission.
The director of staff stated that some 1,000 troops of the Hungarian Defence Forces are currently deployed with foreign missions around the world. Of these missions, a special focus has recently been given to the one aimed at conducting air policing in the airspace of the Baltic countries, as the Hungarian Gripens have been safeguarding the airspace for four months in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. This was needed, because not every NATO member state has state-of-the-art, multi-role fighter jets. As he noted, “We can say that Hungary is among those countries that have such military equipment".
Maj.-Gen. Varga told his audience that the Hungarian pilots had flown 25 Alpha scramble (real-life alert) and more than 100 Tango scramble (practice alert) sorties, reaching a total of more than 430 flight hours in the airspace of the Baltic countries. He added that, at the end of their deployment, NATO had recognized the Hungarian airmen’s work by giving them “Excellent" qualification.
In answer to our question, Lt.-Col. Dr. István Toperczer told us that he had served altogether two and a half months with the Baltic Air Policing mission, and had taken photos besides performing his daily duties. These photographs mainly depict the Hungarian airmen’s everyday life, showing at work the staffs of the medical, logistic and maintenance sections.
At the opening, it was also revealed that the exhibition has already been on view at 11 venues, including the NATO HQ in Brussels, as well as Székesfehérvár, Budakeszi and Mezőhegyes in Hungary. The Székesfehérvár branch of the National Defence and Society Friendship Circles’ National Association has also played a significant role in organizing the exhibition.
Photo: Veronika Dévényi
