Three New Skyfoxes Arrive, Now Eight Hungarian Foxes in the Sky
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky: A new era is beginning in Hungarian fighter pilot training
Text: defence.hu / MTI | Photo: Ministry of Defence | 15:51 November 20, 2025Three new L-39 Skyfox tactical training aircraft arrived in Kecskemét from the Czech Republic, as part of the national defence and armed forces development program. Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky wrote on his social media page that the HDF have become stronger. “Now eight modern Skyfox aircraft support the training of Hungarian pilots and the Air Force’s capability development. The aircraft include a world-class simulation system and a complete ground-based training package”, wrote the defence minister, among others.
The new aircraft of the HDF 101st Aviation Wing open up new possibilities in training fighter pilots, in which the wing will play a decisive role. The long-term goal is to provide the whole training process within a domestic frame. The L-39 Skyfox aircraft are equipped with a new, world-class, complex Ground-Based Training System (GBTS), which contains a modern Full Mission Simulator (FMS), a planning and assessment system and a training support system. These together make pilot training from basic to advanced Lead-in Fighter Training (LIFT) possible on military jet aircraft. Beyond training, L-39 Skyfox aircraft can be used for tasks that can be performed by tactical aircraft flying at subsonic speeds, assigned to tactical air forces, such as Close Air Support (CAS) against ground targets, Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) missions for air defence forces, as well as practicing visual Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and display flights. Besides these, the L-39 Skyfox fleet can also be applied in the JAS 39 Gripen tactical fighter training for so-called role-playing (complex air combat, interception) tasks.
Developing the Air Force’s capabilities is among the highlighted elements of the armed forces development program of the Hungarian Defence Forces. To improve tactical flying capabilities, the Hungarian Defence Forces agreed with the Czech AERO Vodochody Aerospace A.S. company in 2022 on procuring L-39NG tactical trainers and ISR aircraft. Since the beginning of mass production in October 2024, the official name of the aircraft has been L-39 Skyfox. Based on the agreement signed on 31 March 2022, by the end of 2028, eight training aircraft and four others, equipped with an ISR system, will have been commissioned in the HDF.
The first three aircraft arrived in Kecskemét on 30 May, another two on 12 September, while two landed at the Kecskemét-based wing on 18 and one on 19 November. The four ISR aircraft variants are expected to be delivered in 2028 by the Czech manufacturer.
