Full-fledged membership and collective air defence
Text: HDF Logistic Support Command | Photo: by the HDF LSC and archives | 09:07 October 31, 2024With their own modern air defence capability, the Hungarian Defence Forces have joined the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) support partnership.
Hungary’s accession was finalized at a ceremony during the 42nd Support Partnership Conference held in Luxemburg in late October. The meeting was attended by the representatives of the HDF Logistic Support Command and the HDF 205th Surface-to-Air Missile Regiment.
Hungary has been participating in the multinational cooperation since 2021 in observer status, with the main objective of achieving full-fledged membership.
By attaining full-fledged membership, Hungary has joined the ranks of Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Finland, ensuring the collective and efficient logistic support of the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS). The partnership also makes it possible for the participating nations to broaden their knowledge through joint training exercises and the analysis of lessons learned.
NASAMS – a surface-to-air missile system deployable in the entire area of Hungary – implements battle management and fire control within an integrated framework, while its command and control unit, the Fire Distribution Centre and the external radars are connected using Link 16 NATO-compatible datalinks. By developing this capability within the framework of the Defence and Military Development Program, the objective has been to restore the medium-range surface-to-air missile defence structure and generate the ballistic missile defence (BDM) capability. The components of the system can be fielded in fire control installation as well as in mobile container variants.
