Hungary Receives Two Gripen C Aircraft From Sweden, Completing Contract Terms

Two new JAS 39 Gripen C aircraft from Swedish company SAAB have landed at Kecskemét Air Base, marking the completion of deliveries under the contract amendment signed between the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Hungarian Ministry of Defense in January 2024.

SAAB and Combatant Blog reported on this.

With these deliveries, Hungary will operate a total of 18 Gripen aircraft (16 Gripen Cs and 2 Gripen Ds) to protect Hungarian and NATO airspace.

The state-to-state leasing agreement for the transfer of 18 aircraft was signed in 2001 and expired this year, with ownership of the Gripen fleet transferred to the Hungarian Air Force. SAAB also has an agreement with FMV to maintain and upgrade the Hungarian Gripen fleet until 2036.

“We are proud of the Hungarian Air Force, which has been operating Gripen aircraft for 20 years. Thanks to the support and maintenance contract, the Hungarian Gripen fleet will remain highly operational and continuously upgraded to meet all mission requirements for at least the next decade,” Lars Tossman, Senior Vice President and Head of SAAB’s BA Aeronautics, said.

The Hungarian Air Force operates a modified JAS 39C/D EBS HU (Export Baseline Standard Hungary), the main difference being the integration of the NATO-standard Link 16 data transmission system instead of Sweden’s TIDILS.
“As NATO allies, both countries will in the future perform joint missions that go beyond aircraft delivery, in particular in the field of integrated air and missile defense,” General Carl-Fredrik Edström, a representative of FMV, stated.

SAAB and the Hungarian Ministry of Defense have also signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of high-tech industrial zones and fighter aircraft capabilities. The cooperation includes support for establishing a Center of Excellence in Virtual Reality Technologies in Hungary.

JAS 39 Gripen

The Gripen has a total length of up to 16 meters, a wingspan of up to 9 meters, and, depending on configuration, can carry up to two crew members (C variant – single-seat, D variant – two-seat).

The aircraft can carry up to 4,535 liters of fuel, has a payload capacity of 7,200 kilograms, and is equipped with an electronic warfare suite that ensures operations in degraded visibility conditions.

It is powered by a General Electric F414 turbofan engine with afterburner, providing a maximum speed of Mach 2 (2,470 km/h), a service ceiling of 16,000 meters, and a range of 2,200 nautical miles (4,074 kilometers).

The platform is equipped with a 27 mm cannon, IRIS-T short-range infrared-guided missiles, AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles, Meteor active radar-guided missiles, RBS anti-ship missiles, and laser-guided bombs.