Continuously increasing interoperability

Hungary has been a participating nation of the NATO Air Battle Decisive Munitions (ABDM) initiative since 2019. The scope of the ABDM framework for the Allies was initially limited to the acquisition of Air-to-Ground Precision Guided Munitions (A2G PGM). However, starting from 2021, the participants decided to expand the scope of the project into a comprehensive ABDM framework. The ABDM project is now fully aligned in approach with the corresponding projects in the land and maritime domains covering Land Battle Decisive Munitions and Maritime Battle Decisive Munitions.

The ABDM project provides a flexible approach under more favorable conditions, allowing participating nations to acquire ABDMs and at the same time share each other’s ABDM stocks, therefore making Allied air forces more interoperable all the time. Multinational procurement and potential multinational warehousing mean reduced costs and a more efficient acquisition process.

At the opening of the conference in Budapest, the representatives were welcomed by Brigadier General Csaba Ugrik, the incumbent Chairman of the NATO ABDM Management Group as well as by National Armaments Director László Tömböl.

During the program, the participants from NATO member states listened to a report on the NATO Air Chiefs Symposium, as well as on the possibilities for the acquisition of precision-guided weapon systems in the light of current security policy challenges. At the same time, they were given an insight into the main elements of the multinational Foreign Military Sales contracts of representatives of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).

As part of their program, the participants visited the Kecskemét airbase of the HDF 101st Aviation Wing, where they were introduced to the activities of the 101st AW.