Viktor Orbán announced that he had also agreed with his Swedish partner that the contract on logistics services related to this military system would be extended and extended to include training.
The prime minister emphasized that an agreement has been reached that Saab and the Defense Innovation Research Institute will open an artificial intelligence-focused center of excellence, and cooperation in the field of research and development will also begin.
Due to Hungary’s increased involvement abroad and the changed security environment, it became necessary to further develop the air force’s combat flying capabilities. In addition to the existing 14 JAS-39 Gripen multi-purpose combat aircraft, this is why the Hungarian government decided to acquire four more JAS-39Cs. The new acquisitions strengthen the ability of the Hungarian Air Force to protect the country’s airspace in accordance with national and NATO expectations. The high-tech multi-functional combat aircraft has outstanding features, both in terms of air combat and effectiveness against ground targets, as well as operations.
The Gripen fleet, which is the backbone of the Hungarian Air Force, is known and recognized internationally, the Hungarian JAS-39s have protected the airspace of the Baltic countries three times as part of the NATO mission (BAP), and they will perform this task again in 2025. In addition, the Hungarian Gripens – together with Italy – also protect the airspace of Slovenia and Slovakia in cooperation with the V4 member states.
The Center of Excellence using artificial intelligence will be established based on a cooperation agreement between the Ministry of National Defense and the Swedish military industry company SAAB. Among other things, the Swedish side participates in the development of the Hungarian Air Force’s combat flying capability and the virtual training needs of the operational capacities that support it. Related to this, on the Hungarian side, the Defense Innovation Research Institute NZrt. (VIKI) – maintenance training supported by the application of artificial intelligence (AI) will be launched as a pilot project in the center.