Two new Gripen C fighters landed yesterday at Kecskemét Air Base, marking the completion of the deliveries under the contract amendment singed between The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Hungarian Ministry of Defence in January 2024. With these deliveries, Hungary will operate a total of 18 Gripen C/D (16 Gripen C and 2 Gripen D) aircrafts to protect and defend Hungarian and NATO airspace. The delivery of two additional aircraft will further strengthen the capabilities of the Air Force.
“We are proud of the Hungarian Air Force, which has now operated Gripen fighters for 20 years. Thanks to the support and service contract, the Hungarian Gripen fleet will maintain high availability and be continuously upgraded to fulfill all mission requirements for at least a decade ahead,” says Lars Tossman, Senior Vice President and head of Saab business area Aeronautics.
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a light single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab AB. The Gripen is a multirole fighter aircraft, intended as a light-weight and agile aerial platform with advanced, highly adaptable avionics. It has canard control surfaces that contribute a positive lift force at all speeds, while the generous lift from the delta wing compensates for the rear stabiliser producing negative lift at high speeds, increasing induced drag. Later aircraft are fully NATO interoperable. As of 2026, more than 280 Gripens of all models, A–F, have been delivered.
Saab is a leading defence and security company with an enduring purpose, to help nations keep their people and society safe. Empowered by its 28,000 talented people, Saab constantly pushes the boundaries of technology to create a safer and more sustainable world. Saab designs, manufactures and maintains advanced systems in aeronautics, weapons, command and control, sensors and underwater systems. Saab is headquartered in Sweden. It has major operations all over the world and is part of the domestic defence capability of several nations.
