On Thursday, April 30, 2026, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence announced that two of the four JAS 39C Gripen multirole aircraft leased from Sweden’s Saab Defence and Security had landed at the 59th Dezső Szentgyörgyi Air Base in Kecskemét, Bács-Kiskun County.
Photos: Hungarian Ministry of Defence
As a result, the number of Swedish aircraft leased by the Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Légierő) has increased to 16, with the target number set at 18. This follows an agreement of February 23, 2024, between Saab and the defense procurement agency FMV (Försvarets materielverk) under the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden, covering the preparation of four JAS 39C Gripen aircraft for Hungary.
This was an annex to the main agreement of December 2001 concerning the lease of 14 JAS 39C/D Gripen aircraft, which entered service in 2006 with the Puma Fighter Squadron of the 59th Dezső Szentgyörgyi Air Base. One aircraft was lost on May 19, 2015 — a two-seat JAS 39D, no. 42 — and was replaced by aircraft no. 44, delivered in July 2016.
The annex to the agreement for four additional aircraft was signed by the Hungarian Ministry of Defence and FMV on February 23, 2024. Under this new amendment, Hungary will operate more combat aircraft to protect and defend Hungarian and NATO airspace.
Saab currently has an agreement with FMV to provide support for Hungary’s Gripen aircraft, and Saab is ready to provide further upgrades and support for the Hungarian fighters beyond 2035.
Saab and the Hungarian Ministry of Defence also signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the development of high-tech industrial areas and fighter aircraft capabilities. The cooperation includes support for the establishment of a VR technology Center of Excellence in Hungary.
In Europe, apart from Hungary, Sweden operates 71 Gripen C/D aircraft, out of 204 originally purchased. The aircraft are to remain in service into the 2030s. They will then be replaced by 60 single-seat JAS 39E Gripens, with an option for 10 more. On October 6, 2023, Saab handed over the first production example of the new Gripen to FMV.
The second user is the Czech Republic, which has also leased 14 aircraft. However, by 2035, all of them will be replaced by 24 brand-new Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft. For this reason, last year a decision was made to extend the lease of 12 of the 14 Gripens.
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