Aircraft

The Hungarian air force’s first five of 14 Saab Gripen fighters arrived at the service’s Kecskémet airbase yesterday after completing an approximately 2h transit flight from Linköping in Sweden.

The aircraft – Hungary’s two two-seat D-model fighters and first three single-seat Gripen Cs – will be formally accepted into service on 30 March during a ceremony at Kecskémet, around 80km south-east of the capital Budapest.

The aircraft, which were flown to the base by four Hungarian pilots and three from the Swedish air force – will be followed by another nine Gripen Cs by December 2007.

For use initially as interceptors, Hungary’s Gripens are armed with Raytheon AIM-9L Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, although its air force also intends to procure air-to-surface weapons and reconnaissance equipment for the type.

All Pictures © FMV