HUNGARIAN AIR FORCE JAS 39 GRIPEN
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.
