After being acquired by the air forces of Brazil and Sweden, the 4.5 generation Saab Gripen E fighter may have a new customer: Hungary. The Central European country is negotiating the purchase of a batch of new generation Gripen fighters.
At a press conference, Saab Vice President and Deputy Chief of Aeronautics, Åsa Thegström, confirmed the talks between the governments of Budapest and Stockholm. “We are having interesting discussions with Hungary regarding Gripen E,” said the executive. Thegström's statement was complemented by Richard Smith's: according to the head of Gripen marketing and sales, the Hungarian Air Force is still considering the purchase of two squadrons, around 24 aircraft. He also stated that the timeline for such an acquisition is not yet known. The information is from the portal Janes.
Hungary has already operated 14 JAS-39C/D Gripen Legacy fighters since 2001, in leasing format, and added four more planes to the contract in February this year, bringing the leased fleet to 18 planes.
The jets are operated by the Puma Squadron, from Kecskemét Air Base, in the central-south region of the country. In addition to defending Hungarian airspace, the multi-mission Gripen are also used to protect Slovenian national airspace during NATO Baltic air policing missions.
The Gripen E is the natural successor to the JAS-39C/D used by Hungary, Sweden, South Africa, Czechia and Thailand. However, only the Brazilian Air Force and the Swedish Air Force acquired the fighter, g up for 36 and 60 aircraft respectively.
The model is already in service in Brazil with the Jaguar Squadron at Anápolis Air Base, locally designated as F-39E/F. Recently the Brazilian Gripen concluded a test campaign in hot and humid climates in the north of the country.
