The Air Base Has Closed a Successful Year

Last year the fighter pilots of the unit participated in two significant exercises abroad. The pilots practiced live firing with seven aircraft on Exercise Air Superiority 2012 – which was organized in Sweden in March. For a number of them, this was the first live missile firing campaign during their career. Another element of the exercise was an air-to-air gunnery with autocannon – no Hungarian pilots had participated in such an event since the 1960s.

At the end of March, the international air exercise “Lion Effort 2012" took place in Sweden too, where together with four participating and two observer countries, the Hungarian pilots had opportunity to practice tasks executed in international formations. In early November the personnel of the base practiced a coordinated task for the first time, during which the whole Gripen fleet was flying in a single formation. There are two armed Gripens stationed on the base around the clock, providing quick reaction alert (QRA) duty to protect Hungary’s airspace.

According to the figures released by the HDF Air Command and Control Center, around 450,000 aircraft fly over Hungary every year. Last year 32 aircraft entered the airspace of Hungary without contacting the Hungarian air traffic control. Six of these cases ended with scrambling the Gripens from Kecskemét.

Another important event of the year was the signing of the agreement on the modification of the Gripen contract in the presence of Hungarian Minister of Defence Csaba Hende and Swedish Minister of Defence Sten Tolgfors. Under the terms of this agreement, Hungary’s flight time for the fighter aircraft has doubled, which involves less than 50 per cent extra expense and includes the training as well. The new agreement ensures airspace defence capability for Hungary for another ten years.