Hungary
became an operator of the highly successful Saab JAS 39 Gripen in 2006, when it
took on charge the first of 14 examples. Currently operated under a leasing
arrangement with the Swedish government, renewed for another decade during
2012, these comprise a dozen single-seat JAS 39C variants and a pair of JAS 39D
two-seaters. All 13 survivors are flown by the 'Puma' squadron of the 59th
Tactical Fighter Wing at Kecskemét. Adding the Gripen to its inventory has
boosted significantly the front-line capabilities of the Hungarian Air Force,
which was previously reliant on Warsaw Pact-era combat equipment like the
MiG-29. Hungary has recently committed its Gripens to the multi-national air
policing efforts over Slovenia and the Baltic states. Plans are in progress to
add an air-to-ground weapons capability to the Hungarian JAS 39 fleet, in order
for the aircraft to be deployable in the close air support role.
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