Another two Airbus helicopters arrived in Hungary on Monday, bringing the number of H225M helicopters in the Hungarian Defence Forces to ten, Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky announced today. The minister recalled in a statement to MTI that under the Hungarian force development programme the ministry has ordered a total of sixteen medium-lift rotary-wing aircraft from Airbus Helicopters.
The new helicopters will further enhance the Hungarian Air Force’s air transport, air assault, and special operations capabilities and will participate in the training of the territorial reserve personnel. In connection with the Hungarian command year, marked by Major General László Sticz’s command, the Hungarian Defence Forces will provide air search and rescue, medical evacuation (medevac), and transport helicopter capabilities for the European Union’s EUFOR Althea mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Two more Airbus H225M #helicopters arrived in Hungary, increasing our fleet to ten. 🚁
— Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky (@SzBobrovniczky) July 16, 2024
These additions #strengthen our air transport, airdrop, and special operations capabilities, supporting @EUFORBIH.
Enhancing our defense is vital for national and allied security. 🇭🇺 @NATO pic.twitter.com/NVxbYAKe7J
‘Now, when a war of a 20th-century nature is occurring in Hungary’s neighbourhood, the Hungarian government still sees the only solution in an immediate ceasefire and the initiation of peace talks. This was the goal of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s peace mission, and we are drawing attention to this during Hungary’s six-month EU presidency. The NATO summit in Washington also highlighted the need for strong national armed forces within the alliance. In this spirit, the capabilities of the Hungarian armed forces, including the air force, must be developed to ensure the security of Hungary and our allies,’
the minister underscored.
The two new helicopters departed from Airbus’s factory in France on the morning of 15 July with the manufacturer’s pilots, and the handover will take place at the MH Kiss József 86th Helicopter Brigade base in Szolnok.
The first helicopters were received by the brigade on 24 July last year, and the equipment has been arriving continuously since then. In line with NATO expectations, Hungary has been meeting the desired two per cent budget level for military spending for the second year in a row, with twenty per cent of this allocated to development under the military development programme.
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