The wings of the nation

“To us, the Gripen is more than an aircraft, more than an item of military equipment. To us, Hungarian soldiers, it is the guarantee of our sovereignty” – said General Dr. Gábor Böröndi, Chief of HDF Defence Staff in his ceremonial speech delivered in Kecskemét on 29 April.

The history of the type in Hungary goes back to two decades: the first Gripens landed on the airbase in March 2006. Then, in 2008, they officially entered service, and since 2010 they have been providing the quick reaction alert (QRA) capability in Hungary’s and NATO’s airspace. “Since then, we have not only preserved but also developed this capability” – added the chief of defence in connection with the results achieved so far.

Also in attendance at the event was Johan Segertoft, Vice President, Head of Business Unit Gripen at SAAB, who said in his speech that “Anniversaries remind us of where we have been. New aircraft of where we are going”, and went on to praise the indispensability of human resource.

The JAS 39 Gripen is not only a conventional single-mission interceptor, but also a fourth-generation, true multirole tactical aircraft. It is capable of carrying out fighter, strike and reconnaissance missions within a single sortie. After their assuming quick reaction alert (QRA) duties in 2008, and the subsequent complete phaseout of the legendary but obsolete MiG-29 fleet, the Gripen type has become the backbone of Hungarian QRA service. Over the last two decades, the Gripens’ main and most permanent mission was to continuously ensure the airspace sovereignty of Hungary.

Besides the domestic QRA service, one of the outstanding achievements of the Hungarian Gripen program is the successful engagement in the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) missions. So far, Hungary has already participated in the BAP on four occasions, each time as a lead nation.

The parameters of the Gripen C variant serving at Kecskemét airbase ensure that the Hungarian Defence Forces can rapidly and efficiently react to any airspace violation. The maximum speed of the fighter aircraft with a length of 14.9 meters and a wingspan of 8.4 meters reaches Mach 2. Moreover, the aircraft has a range of approx. 3000 kilometers, which guarantees permanent presence in domestic and Alliance airspace.

The ceremony was attended by the leaders and commanders of the HDF Defence Staff and the Hungarian Defence Forces.