Each War Starts as a Result of People’s Decisions

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that we live in hard times; Europe is preparing for war. He underlined that the heads of great Western European countries talk one after the other about the following steps to continue the war in Ukraine, how much ammunition and how many weapons should be sent there. It is also mentioned more and more frequently that soldiers should be sent there, too. The minister said that at first, they only talked about war and it has been two years that we were listening to that. At first, they talked about steel helmets, then about field guns, ammunition, battle tanks and combat aircraft, and now they are talking about which NATO or EU member states would send troops to Ukraine in a training or support mission. The interest of the Hungarian people, Hungary, Europe and the world is that this process does not continue; and this requires strength, pointed out the defence minister.

The minister said that in Hungarian history, we have seen enough of Hungarian soldiers appearing in wars where they did not belong, due to foreign interests. He underlined that strength is also required at the elections and the ballot boxes so that in Europe, as many people vote for peace as possible. He emphasised that the Hungarian government has always been committed to peace and will continue to work to avoid war. Military strength is needed so that we can protect ourselves independently of others, he said adding that the government thus continues armed forces development, or even accelerates it in the age of dangers. Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky informed us that the Hungarian armed forces and its air defence are now being increased by a capability already tested in the hardest times among combat conditions in Israel.

These 3D multi-mission radar systems together with NASAMS, the four new Gripens strengthening the combat aircraft fleet and other assets form a shield that guarantees the security of the Hungarian people, indicated the defence minister. He also said that we cannot afford Europe to drift into a war, so we have to do everything to avoid it and Hungary will stay out of it in all circumstances. We need peace, which can be reached via an immediate ceasefire and peace talks, concluded Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky.

Pietro Mazzei, CEO of Rheinmetall Canada, praised the partnership of industry and government related to the importance of cooperation. He said that such an assembly, integration and testing basis was created in Hungary the result of which are the assets handed over. He thanked the Hungarian Defence Forces for not only making time to learn the technology but also integrating it into daily operations. The ELM-2084 3D multi-mission radar acquired within the National Defence and Armed Forces Development Program can support air space controlling, artillery and surface-to-air missile tasks, based on the fliers handed out on site. It can redirect vertical and horizontal radio waves using state-of-the-art semiconductor technology and the phased antenna array. Its antenna rotation speed is three times that of the currently used radars, which results in a three times faster data update. The technology can detect each type of aircraft – from large high-speed cargo aircraft to medium-sized low-speed drones – at the same time, as well as ballistic artillery shells. The radar can be deployed even in extreme weather conditions with high reliability and provides 21st-century circumstances to the operating staff. The radar consists of three main modules – antenna system, operator’s cabin and electricity supply providing system – that are transported by trucks with off-road capability. Its assembly and disassembly time is short.