A list of countries that have confirmed their participation at NATO Days in Ostrava this year is widened also by Hungary. It becomes the second country after Austria, which is going to take part in NATO Days in Ostrava for the first time.  

The Hungarian Air Force is going to take part in the jubilee tenth NATO Days in Ostrava on both dynamic and static displays. A JAS-39 Gripen aircraft from the Kecskemét AFB will be presented on dynamic display and another Gripen will present itself on a static display, as will Mi-8/17 helicopter from the Szolnok AFB.

“Hungary is an important partner of the Czech Republic and also a member of the Visegrád Four, whose members have long-term good relations with the Czech Republic and much in common from the historical point of view,” comments Zbyněk Pavlačík, the chairman of the Jagello 2000 Association, which organizes NATO Days in Ostrava. “The more are we pleased with the positive decision of the Hungarian Air Force to take part in our show,” adds he.

Thanks to the fact that also Czech Gripen aircrafts are going to take part in NATO Days in Ostrava, the visitors will have a great chance to see the planes of both states on both static and dynamic displays. “Displays of the Czech and Hungarian Gripen planes are quite similar. However figures of the display are differently composed in a Hungarian display and a visitor gets a great show. All pilots have several variants of their display in reserve and their usage depends for example on weather conditions,” specifies an expert Jan Čadil, who is the editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Aviation and Astronautics.

The Hungarian Air Force has 12 JAS-39C Gripen and 2 two-seat JAS-39D aircrafts on lease, just like the Czech Republic. Contrary to the Czech Republic, Hungary is going to buy the aircrafts after the end of the lease though. Gripen planes will therefore certainly stay in the Hungarian Air Force. In the Czech case, the lease of the Gripen aircrafts will end in 2015 and their further fate in the Czech Air Force is unknown as of this moment.

Just in Kecskemét, from which the two Hungarian Gripen planes will come to Mošnov, a large air show is held annually. This show will be taking place on August 7 and 8 and the Czech Republic is going to take part with JAS-39 Gripen and L-159 ALCA aircrafts.

Written by: Pavel Doško

See you at the 10^th NATO Days in Ostrava,
1^st Czech Air Force Days,
and AirIn Fair 2010!