Hungarian Air Force
The Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Légierő) grew from an air arm hidden inside flying clubs after the Treaty of Trianon into the Royal Hungarian Air Force of 1938–1945, was rebuilt on Soviet lines and disarmed by the Soviet army in 1956, flew MiG-21s and MiG-29s into NATO, and since 2006 has defended Hungary with a small Gripen force that reached 18 aircraft in June 2026 — and lost one near Szolnok two months later.
The Hungarian Air Force story: an air arm in disguise, a service disarmed in 1956 and a Gripen force in NATO
1914–1938: Austro-Hungarian roots and an air force in disguise
Hungarian military flying began inside the Austro-Hungarian army, and the Hungarian Air Force dates its lineage to 1914. When the Monarchy fell apart in 1918 a small Hungarian air arm was formed from surviving aircraft, factories and schools; under the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919 it became a Red Air Force and was disbanded when that regime fell. The Treaty of Trianon of 1920 then forbade Hungary military aircraft, and the answer was concealment: according to the service’s own history and Wikipedia’s account, a secret air arm was built up under the cover of civilian flying clubs and state aviation offices. Only after the Bled agreement of August 1938 was it acknowledged. The Air Force Command’s official page dates the Royal Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő) to 28 December 1938 and its independence as a service to 1 January 1939; Wikipedia gives 9 January 1939 for the order that made army aviation independent.
1938–1945: the Royal Hungarian Air Force at war
The new service went to war almost at once. In the Slovak–Hungarian War of 23–31 March 1939 its Fiat CR.32 fighters and Ju 86K-2 bombers fought the Slovak air arm; Wikipedia’s account records that its only loss was a Fiat shot down by Hungarian artillery. It supported the German invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, and after unidentified aircraft bombed Kassa (Košice) on 26 June 1941 — the attacker has never been established — Hungary declared war on the Soviet Union on 27 June, and at dawn that day its aircraft bombed Stanislav. A Hungarian air brigade flew with the Luftwaffe’s VIII Fliegerkorps on the Eastern Front from 1942, first with Italian-derived Re.2000 Héja fighters and then with Messerschmitts. At home the industry built Bf 109Gs at Győr (633 by the German production table) and 267 Me 210Ca-1s at the Danube Aircraft Factory. From 1944 the 101st ‘Puma’ fighter group defended Budapest against American bombers and later Soviet fighters; its ace Dezső Szentgyörgyi is credited with 30 victories. Fighting in Hungary ended on 16 April 1945.
1947–1990: Soviet lines, 1956 and the MiG-21 decades
A small air arm was organised on Soviet lines from 1947, and by 1956 it had fighter divisions at Taszár and Kecskemét, a bomber division at Kunmadaras and a ground-attack division at Székesfehérvár, flying Yak-9s, Il-10s, Tu-2s, Il-28s and MiG-15s. The revolution of October 1956 split it. Wikipedia’s article on the revolution records that on 26 October, on the order of an army commander, fighters fired on demonstrators near Kecskemét, while other air force units resisted Soviet attempts to take their bases; Marshal Zhukov reported the whole Hungarian air force disarmed between 4 and 9 November. It was reformed on 1 April 1957 with one mixed squadron each at Pápa, Taszár and Kecskemét. MiG-21s arrived in 1961 and stayed 40 years; by the 1980s three fighter regiments had about 100 supersonic jets, with Su-22s from 1983 and MiG-23s alongside them. Mi-24 gunships reached Szentkirályszabadja on 26 July 1978. It was a real air force, but a Warsaw Pact one: the MiG-23’s major-mishap rate in Hungarian service is quoted at 24.3 per 100,000 hours, twice the Soviet figure.
1993–2010: MiG-29s for a debt, and a service shrunk to the bone
After 1990 the money went. In 1993 Russia settled part of a state debt by delivering 28 MiG-29s, flown from Kecskemét; Germany gave 20 Mi-24D/Vs in 1995, and Hungary bought 12 Yak-52 trainers from Romania and received 24 L-39s for the first pilot course since 1956, which stopped after one intake because of cost. The MiG-23s and Su-22s went in 1996–1997, the last MiG-21bis in 2001, and from 2002 Hungarian pilots trained in Canada. The 28 MiG-29s were a windfall that the budget could not keep flying: the last was retired in December 2010 and eight were offered for sale in 2011. The good side of the 1990s was NATO membership in 1999 and a clean break with Soviet doctrine; the bad side was a fleet that shrank faster than it was replaced, and a training pipeline that nearly disappeared.
2006–2026: Gripens, C-17s and the Zrínyi rebuild
On 10 September 2001 Hungary chose the Swedish Gripen, and in December 2001 it signed with Sweden’s FMV; an amendment on 3 February 2003 turned the deal into a lease of 14 NATO-compatible JAS 39C/Ds with air refuelling probes and English-language cockpits, and all 14 were at Kecskemét by December 2007. The lease was later extended to 2026. The fleet has had bad days: on 19 May 2015 a two-seater overran the runway at Čáslav in the Czech Republic, the Hungarian Defence Forces’ investigation blaming the pilot, and on 10 June 2015 a single-seater belly-landed at Kecskemét, its pilot injured on ejection. Hungary also hosts NATO’s Heavy Airlift Wing at Pápa, whose three C-17s, bought by 12 nations under the Strategic Airlift Capability agreement of 23 September 2008, wear Hungarian markings. From 2016 the Zrínyi 2026 programme brought 20 H145M and 16 H225M helicopters, two A319s, two Falcon 7Xs, two KC-390s and 12 L-39 Skyfox trainers.
What has changed, and what is still missing
The Gripen deal was renewed in January 2024, announced on 23 February 2024 as Swedish accession to NATO awaited Hungarian ratification: four more Gripen Cs, bought rather than leased, and support beyond 2035. The first two landed at Kecskemét on 30 April 2026 and the last two on 24 June, giving 16 Gripen Cs and two Ds. Two months later, on 24 August 2026, a Gripen on training near Szolnok crashed on military land after its pilot ejected; he was operated on at the Military Hospital and went home within days, and the flight recorder went to Sweden. The Mi-24’s calendar life ran out on 5 February 2026 and the Mi-24 and Mi-17 were formally retired on 17 June 2026, leaving an all-Western fleet. What remains thin is mass: a former air force commander argued in 2025 that 14 fighters were not enough and that studies pointed to two squadrons of 24; 17 Gripens after the crash is still one squadron, with no successor decided.
The Hungarian Air Force in numbers
Service
- Native name
- Magyar LégierőThe command is officially Magyar Honvédség Légierő Parancsnokság (Hungarian Defence Forces Air Force Command) on honvedelem.hu; the ministry’s own articles also use Magyar Légierő. Hungarian is the only official language
- Founded
- 28 December 1938Royal Hungarian Air Force established 28 December 1938 and independent from 1 January 1939 per the Air Force Command page; Wikipedia gives 9 January 1939 for the independence order and dates the lineage to 1914. The present Air Force Command was re-established on 1 November 2022
- Part of
- Hungarian Defence ForcesDirectly subordinate to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Zsolt Sándor, since the command was re-established in 2022
- Headquarters
- Veszprém8200 Veszprém, Jókai Mór utca 31–33; the Air Operations Command and Control Centre is also at Veszprém
- Commander
- Col. Ferenc Könczöl (acting)Per the official unit page in September 2026; Brig. Gen. Dr Tamás Bali was named deputy commander in August 2026. The date of appointment was not found
- Minister of Defence
- Dr Romulusz Ruszin-SzendiIn Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s government; he went to the Szolnok crash site on 24 August 2026. His predecessor Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky received the second KC-390 in November 2025
Strength
- Personnel
- About 5,750Wikipedia’s figure for active air force personnel; not confirmed on an official page. The whole Hungarian Defence Forces has about 41,600 active personnel per Wikipedia
- Combat aircraft
-
- JAS 39C/D Gripen — 17 (15 C, 2 D) after the 24 August 2026 loss
Saab counted 18 (16 C, 2 D) after the last delivery on 24 June 2026. Euronews still reported 14 on the day of the crash, the pre-2026 figure
- Transport
-
- KC-390 Millennium — 2
- Airbus A319 — 2
- Dassault Falcon 7X — 2
- C-17 Globemaster III — 3 (NATO Heavy Airlift Wing, multinational)
KC-390s 610 and 611 arrived in autumn 2024 and on 21 November 2025. The C-17s belong to the 12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability but are registered in Hungary
- Helicopters
-
- Airbus H145M — 20 ordered (19 per Wikipedia)
- Airbus H225M — 16
- Airbus H125 — 2 (training)
Ordered in 2018; the minister called the helicopter fleet complete in November 2025. Mi-24 and Mi-17 retired in 2026
- Trainers
-
- L-39NG Skyfox — at least 6 delivered of 12
- Zlín Z-242L — 6
- Zlín Z-143LSi — 2
Three Skyfox handed over on 30 May 2025 and three more in November 2025; completion expected by 2028
- Defence budget
- HUF 1,752.3 billion (2025)About 2 per cent of GDP (HUF 1,939.3 billion including military education and sport), per an Oeconomus analysis reported by Hungary Today. Wikipedia gives US$5.23 billion (2.14 per cent) for 2024. A 2026 figure was not confirmed
Infrastructure
- Flying bases
-
- Kecskemét — 59th Szentgyörgyi Dezső Air Wing (the 101st Aviation Brigade 2023–2026): Gripen, transports, trainers
- Szolnok — 86th Helicopter Brigade: H145M, H225M
- Pápa — Pápa Air Base (the 47th Air Base 2023–2026), NATO Heavy Airlift Wing C-17s
The three flying units named on the Air Force Command page, plus the 205th Air Defence Missile Regiment at Győr; the Kecskemét and Pápa units took back their earlier names on 1 September 2026
- Ground-based air defence
- NASAMS205th ‘Dánielfy Tibor’ Air Defence Missile Regiment, Győr; NASAMS ordered in 2020 with 11 ELM-2084 radars, plus Mistral
- Quick reaction alert
- Gripens at KecskemétThe crashed aircraft was flying readiness training; the ministry said Gripens were scrambled twice without incident after the post-crash flying ban was lifted
- Closed jet bases
-
- Taszár — MiG-21 regiment
- Szentkirályszabadja — first Mi-24s, 1978
- Kunmadaras — bomber division, 1956
Base details are in the stations dataset
- NATO air policing
- Baltic rotations 2015, 2019, 2022, 2025Four Gripen Cs each time from Šiauliai, Lithuania
How the Hungarian Air Force is organised
One command at Veszprém over three flying units and an air defence regiment. Every Hungarian fighter and transport flies from Kecskemét and the helicopters from Szolnok, while Pápa hosts NATO’s multinational C-17 wing. All three flying units changed their names on 1 September 2026, most of them back to older ones.
Air Force Command
Re-established on 1 November 2022 directly under the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Zsolt Sándor. In September 2026 the official unit page named Col. Ferenc Könczöl as acting commander; the Air Operations Command and Control Centre is also at Veszprém.
59th Szentgyörgyi Dezső Air Wing
Every Hungarian fighter: the Tactical Fighter Squadron’s 17 Gripens, on continuous alert, alongside the Transport Squadron’s KC-390s, A319s and Falcon 7Xs and the L-39NG Skyfox trainers. Known from 2023 until 1 September 2026 as the 101st.
86th Szolnok Helicopter Brigade
Hungary’s combat, transport and rescue helicopters: 16 H225Ms and 19–20 H145Ms delivered between 2019 and 2025, including those of the Special Air Operations Squadron. The Mi-24 and Mi-17 were retired here on 17 June 2026.
Pápa Air Base
Host to NATO’s Heavy Airlift Wing, whose three C-17s are owned by 12 nations under the Strategic Airlift Capability but carry Hungarian registrations and markings. The base also provides search and rescue for western Hungary.
205th Dánielfy Tibor Air Defence Missile Regiment
The ground-based air defence: NASAMS, ordered in 2020 with 11 ELM-2084 radars, and Mistral.
What the Hungarian Air Force flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saab JAS 39C GripenIn service | Multirole fighter | 15 | 2006 | 16 Gripen C after the last two new aircraft arrived on 24 June 2026 (12 leased from 2006, 4 bought under the 2024 amendment); one lost near Szolnok on 24 August 2026.
MoreThe variant of the crashed aircraft is not stated by the ministry; Wikipedia records it as a C. |
||
| Saab JAS 39D GripenIn service | Two-seat conversion trainer and fighter | 2 | 2006 | Two per Saab in June 2026. The two-seater No. 42 was heavily damaged at Čáslav on 19 May 2015; whether it was rebuilt or replaced was not confirmed. | ||
| Embraer KC-390 MillenniumIn service | Tanker and tactical transport | 2 | 2024 | Two: 610 arrived in autumn 2024, 611 on 21 November 2025. | ||
| Airbus A319In service | Government and troop transport | 2 | Two, former Air Berlin aircraft per Wikipedia. | |||
| Dassault Falcon 7XIn service | VIP transport | 2 | Two per Wikipedia. | |||
| Boeing C-17A Globemaster III (NATO Heavy Airlift Wing)In service | Strategic transport | 3 | 2009 | Three, owned by the 12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability, registered SAC 01–03 in Hungary. | ||
| Airbus Helicopters H145MIn service | Light utility and armed helicopter | 19 | 20 ordered in 2018; Wikipedia lists 19 in service (the reason for the difference was not confirmed). | |||
| Airbus Helicopters H225M CaracalIn service | Transport and combat search and rescue helicopter | 16 | 16 ordered in 2018. | |||
| Airbus Helicopters H125In service | Helicopter trainer | 2 | Two per Wikipedia. | |||
| Aero L-39NG SkyfoxIn service | Jet trainer and light attack | 6 | 2025 | At least six delivered: three on 30 May 2025 and three more in November 2025. 12 ordered on 17 April 2022 (eight trainers, four reconnaissance); completion expected by 2028. | ||
| Zlín Z-242LIn service | Basic trainer | 6 | Six per Wikipedia. | |||
| Zlín Z-143LSiIn service | Basic trainer | 2 | Two per Wikipedia. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aero L-39NG SkyfoxOn order | 6 | 2025 | 12 ordered on 17 April 2022; at least six delivered by November 2025, completion expected by 2028. The exact number still to come in September 2026 was not confirmed. |
Every type the Hungarian Air Force has retired
21 types, from the Reggiane Re.2000 and MÁVAG Héja I/II to the Mil Mi-24D/V/P. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mil Mi-24D/V/P | Attack helicopter | 1978–2026 | H145M | 46 of various sub-types operated in all, per the 86th Brigade history reported by Világgazdaság; peak strength 39 in the 1980s per the ministry; 20 Mi-24D/V came from Germany in 1995. | ||
| Mil Mi-17 | Transport helicopter | 7 | 1987–2026 | H225M | Seven acquired per the ministry. | |
| Antonov An-26 | Tactical transport | KC-390 | ||||
| Mikoyan MiG-29 (9.12A) and MiG-29UB (9.51) | Air superiority fighter | 28 | 1993–2010 | Gripen | 28, delivered in 1993 as payment in kind for Russian state debt. | |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21F-13, PF, MF, bis, U and UM | Fighter | 1961–2001 | MiG-29, Gripen | Several hundred across all variants; totals by source are not reconcilable.
MoreWikipedia’s operator list gives 12 F-13 in 1961 and 68 more, 24 PF (1964–65), 50 MF (1971–74), 39 bis-A and 24 bis-B from 1977, and 12 plus 6 MiG-21U and 27 UM trainers. |
||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 | Fighter | |||||
| Sukhoi Su-22M3 and Su-22UM3 | Fighter-bomber | 15 | 1983–1997 | 12 Su-22M3 and three Su-22UM3. | ||
| Messerschmitt Bf 109D, E, F and G | Fighter | About 609 per Wikipedia: 3 D-1, 50 E-3/E-4, 66 F-4 and about 490 G-2 to G-14. The Győr works built 633 Bf 109Gs in 1942–1945 per the German production table, part of them for the Luftwaffe. | ||||
| Messerschmitt Me 210Ca-1 | Heavy fighter and fast bomber | 1943–1945 | 159–179 in Hungarian service. The Danube Aircraft Factory built 267, of which 108 went to the Luftwaffe and 159 to Hungary; the same article also says Hungary operated 179. | |||
| Reggiane Re.2000 and MÁVAG Héja I/II | Fighter | 1940–1945 | Bf 109 | 70 imported from Italy plus 170–204 Héja II built by MÁVAG, depending on the source. | ||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 | Fighter | |||||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 | Fighter | |||||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 | Fighter | |||||
| Ilyushin Il-28 | Bomber | |||||
| Ilyushin Il-10 | Ground-attack aircraft | |||||
| Tupolev Tu-2 | Bomber | |||||
| Yakovlev Yak-9 | Fighter | |||||
| Yakovlev Yak-52 | Primary trainer | 12 | 1993– | 12 bought from Romania in 1993. | ||
| Aero L-39ZO Albatros | Jet trainer | 24 | 1993– | L-39NG | 24 donated, per Wikipedia. | |
| Fiat CR.32 | Fighter | |||||
| Junkers Ju 86K-2 | Bomber |
Where the Hungarian Air Force flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the ones that have closed. Only three airfields are still in military use; of the seven that have closed, five had Soviet units that left in 1990–1991, and Taszár was NATO’s first base in the former Warsaw Pact. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KecskemétBács-Kiskun County (Bács-Kiskun vármegye) | LHKE | Active | 12/302,499 mconcrete |
|
| PápaVeszprém County (Veszprém vármegye) | LHPA | Active | 16/342,399 mconcrete | |
| SzolnokJász-Nagykun-Szolnok County (Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok vármegye) | LHSN | Active | 02/202,000 m |
|
| TaszárSomogy County (Somogy vármegye) | LHTA | Closed 2005 | 16/342,500 mconcrete |
|
| SzentkirályszabadjaVeszprém County (Veszprém vármegye) | Closed 2004 |
|
||
| TökölPest County (Pest vármegye) | Closed 2001 |
|
||
| KiskunlacházaPest County (Pest vármegye) | Closed 1991 | |||
| KunmadarasJász-Nagykun-Szolnok County (Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok vármegye) | Closed 1991 | |||
| DebrecenHajdú-Bihar County (Hajdú-Bihar vármegye) | LHDC | Closed 1990 | 04R/22L2,500 mconcrete |
|
| SármellékHévíz-Balaton AirportZala County (Zala vármegye) | LHSM | Closed 1990 | 16/342,500 mconcrete |
|
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Hungarian Air Force
Flying units by base, current units first. Hungarian units have changed their names many times; since 1 September 2026 the Kecskemét wing is again the 59th, named after Dezső Szentgyörgyi, the country’s top-scoring ace. The C-17s at Pápa belong to a 12-nation programme, and the entry says so.
- Tactical Fighter Squadron (Harcászati Repülőszázad)Fighter squadron · active
- JAS 39C/D Gripen
- Tactical Training Squadron (Harcászati Kiképző Repülőszázad)Tactical training squadron · active
- Aero L-39NG Skyfox
- Transport Squadron (Szállítórepülő-század)Air transport squadron · active
- Embraer KC-390 Millennium (2), Airbus A319, Dassault Falcon 7X
- 59th Tactical Air Regiment (MiG-29 squadrons)1993–2010
- MiG-29 and MiG-29UB
- 62nd and 59th Fighter Regiments (MiG-15 to MiG-21)1952–1994
- MiG-15, MiG-21 and MiG-21U, MiG-21MF
- Heavy Airlift Wing (Strategic Airlift Capability)Multinational strategic airlift wing · active
- Boeing C-17A Globemaster III (3)
- 47th Fighter Regiment, from 1992 47th Pápa Tactical Air Regiment1961–2001
- MiG-21F, MiG-21MF, MiG-21bis, MiG-23MF and MiG-23UB
- 86th Helicopter Brigade, transport helicopter battalion (“Rubik”)Transport helicopter unit · active
- Airbus H225M Caracal (16)
- 86th Helicopter Brigade, H145M fleetLight utility and armed helicopter unit · active
- Airbus H145M (19–20)
- Special Air Operations SquadronSpecial operations helicopter squadron · active
- Airbus H145M, Airbus H225M
- Fixed-wing training elementFlying training · active
- Zlín
- 86th Helicopter Brigade, Mi-24 and Mi-17 squadrons2004–2026
- Mi-24V/P, Mi-17
- 89th Mixed Transport Aviation Regiment1984–2004
- Mi-8, Antonov An-26
- Kilián György aviation officer school (flying training)1949–
No unit matches that search.
Hungarian Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
The Hungarian Air Force dates its lineage to Austro-Hungarian military aviation.
The Hungarian Soviet Republic forms a Red Air Force from the post-war air arm; it is disbanded when the regime falls.
28 December: the Royal Hungarian Air Force is established, independent from 1 January 1939 (Wikipedia: 9 January).
23–31 March: the Slovak–Hungarian War; Hungarian bombers raid Spišská Nová Ves on 24 March.
April: operations in support of the invasion of Yugoslavia. 26 June: Kassa is bombed by unidentified aircraft; 27 June: Hungary declares war on the Soviet Union.
An air brigade joins the Luftwaffe’s VIII Fliegerkorps on the Eastern Front; 13 Héja fighters reach Kursk on 2 July.
1 May: the 101st ‘Puma’ fighter group forms for home defence; its first American kill comes on 14 June.
16 April: fighting in Hungary ends and the air force is demobilised.
October–November: the revolution; air force units split, and Soviet forces disarm the whole air force between 4 and 9 November; it is reformed on 1 April 1957.
The first 12 MiG-21F-13s arrive; the MiG-21 serves until 2001.
26 July: the first four Mi-24Ds land at Szentkirályszabadja.
28 MiG-29s arrive from Russia as payment for debt; the first pilot course since 1956 starts at Szolnok.
10 September: the Gripen is chosen; the contract with Sweden follows in December. The last MiG-21s retire.
The first leased Gripens arrive; all 14 are at Kecskemét by December 2007.
14 July: the first NATO C-17 arrives; 27 July: the Heavy Airlift Wing is activated at Pápa.
19 May: a Gripen D is wrecked at Čáslav; 10 June: a Gripen C belly-lands at Kecskemét; 31 August: first Baltic Air Policing lead from Šiauliai.
23 February: four more Gripen Cs announced. Autumn: the first KC-390 arrives.
5 February: the Mi-24’s service life ends. 30 April and 24 June: the four new Gripens arrive (18 in all). 24 August: a Gripen crashes near Szolnok; the pilot ejects.
Every war the Hungarian Air Force has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- Hungarian–Czechoslovak and Hungarian–Romanian wars of 1919 1919 The air arm of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, formed from surviving Austro-Hungarian aircraft and schools
- Slovak–Hungarian War 1939 Air superiority and bombing in support of the Hungarian advance into eastern Slovakia
- Invasion of Yugoslavia 1941 Supported the Hungarian advance into Yugoslav territory alongside the German invasion
- War against the Soviet Union 1941–1945 Flew fighter, bomber and reconnaissance missions, from 1942 as an air brigade attached to the Luftwaffe’s VIII Fliegerkorps
- Air defence of Hungary 1944–1945 Intercepted American bomber raids from spring 1944, then fought Soviet aircraft as the front reached Hungary
Hungarian Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Hungarian Air Force and the aircraft it flies. This list refreshes itself — new Afterburner stories appear here automatically.
Everything people ask about the Hungarian Air Force
What is the Hungarian Air Force called in Hungarian?
What fighter jets does Hungary fly?
Does Hungary own or lease its Gripens?
What happened in the Hungarian Gripen crash of August 2026?
Has Hungary lost Gripens before?
Did Hungary fly the MiG-29?
How long did Hungary fly the MiG-21?
Are there C-17s in Hungary?
What did the Hungarian air force do in the Second World War?
Is the Kecskemét air show coming back?
Read the aircraft the Hungarian Air Force flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- Honvédelem.hu: Magyar Honvédség Légierő Parancsnokság (unit page)Official name, HQ Veszprém, re-established 1 November 2022, acting commander Col. Ferenc Könczöl, subordinate units, history (28 December 1938; 1 January 1939).
- Honvédelem.hu: A Magyar Légierő aktuális kérdéseiMinistry usage of the name Magyar Légierő (title as listed on honvedelem.hu).
- Honvédelem.hu: Új röppályán a légierő (16 January 2021)Interview with Maj. Gen. Nándor Kilián; NFTC ending; NASAMS; recruitment.
- Honvédelem.hu: Lezuhant a Magyar Honvédség egyik Gripen vadászgépe Szolnok mellett (24 August 2026)Crash shortly after 10:00 near Szolnok; pilot ejected; minister’s statement.
- Honvédelem.hu: Helyszíni tájékoztatás Szolnokról (24 August 2026)Minister Ruszin-Szendi, Gen. Zsolt Sándor and Brig. Gen. Dr Tamás Bali, air force deputy commander; aircraft on readiness training.
- Honvédelem.hu: Gripen tag pageAugust 2026 crash follow-ups, alerts of 28 and 29 August 2026, night flying July 2026.
- Honvédelem.hu: Sötétben is az égen (16 July 2026)Night flying with L-39NG and Gripen at Kecskemét, 14 July 2026.
- Honvédelem.hu: Megérkezett a Magyar Honvédség második KC-390 Millennium szállító repülőgépe (November 2025)KC-390 611 on 21 November 2025; three more Skyfox; helicopter fleet complete; four Gripens coming.
- Honvédelem.hu: Búcsúzó forgószárnyasok (June 2026)Mi-24 and Mi-17 farewell on 17 June 2026; Mi-24 from 1978, peak 39; seven Mi-17 from 1987.
- Defence.hu: Second KC-390 Millennium transport aircraft arrives in Hungary611 on 21 November 2025; 610 in autumn 2024; contract November 2020.
- Defence.hu: New era in the air force (April 2024)First KC-390 at Kecskemét on 12 April 2024 for testing.
- Saab: Saab receives SEK 2 billion order for Hungarian lease of 14 Gripen fighters (7 February 2003)December 2001 contract; amendment 3 February 2003; 14 aircraft, NATO-compatible; delivery 2006.
- Saab: Saab receives Gripen order for Hungary (23 February 2024)Four more Gripen C; 18 in all; support beyond 2035.
- Saab: Hungary receives two new Gripen fighters (30 April 2026)First two of four at Kecskemét.
- Saab: Final deliveries of Hungarian Gripen fighters (24 June 2026)Last two delivered; 16 C and 2 D; amendment signed January 2024.
- Nordic Defence Sector: Saab delivered two Gripen C to HungaryFinal pair 23 June 2026; 18 aircraft.
- Breaking Defense: Hungary, Sweden reach deal for additional Gripen fighters (February 2024)Deal announced during Kristersson’s Budapest visit ahead of NATO ratification.
- Embassy of the Czech Republic in Budapest: First three L-39 Skyfox aircraft handed over to HungaryHandover 30 May 2025; 12 ordered 17 April 2022 (8 trainer, 4 reconnaissance).
- The Aviationist: Kecskemét welcomes first batch of Hungarian L-39 Skyfox trainers (31 May 2025)Completion expected by 2028.
- BAON: Újra lesz repülőnap Kecskeméten (September 2026)Air show returns August 2027; pilot operated on 25 August and home; recorder to Sweden; flying ban lifted.
- BAON: Könczöl Ferenc new commander of the Kecskemét air base (February 2025)Col. Könczöl took over the 101st Aviation Brigade in early 2025 (headline and search listing).
- 444.hu: Interview with former air force commander Nándor Kilián (23 June 2025)Left in the January 2023 rejuvenation; 14 fighters not enough; studies pointed to 2 x 24.
- Jerusalem Post: Hungarian Gripen fighter jet crashes near Szolnok (24 August 2026)PM Péter Magyar’s statement; 18 Gripens.
- Euronews: Hungarian air force Gripen fighter jet crashes near Szolnok (24 August 2026)Crash on military land; reports 14 Gripens (outdated).
- Daily News Hungary: pilot likely caused Gripen crash in the Czech Republic (25 June 2015)Investigation found pilot error at Čáslav, 19 May 2015.
- Daily News Hungary: Billions at stake in NATO’s new pledge5 per cent pledge; public debt 74.6 per cent of GDP at end 2025.
- Hungary Today: Defense spending to guarantee robust military development2025: HUF 1,752.3 billion, about 2 per cent of GDP (Oeconomus analysis).
- Világgazdaság: Mi-24 retirement (February 2026)Calendar life ended 5 February 2026; first four Mi-24D on 26 July 1978 at Szentkirályszabadja; 46 operated; over 85,000 hours.
- KecsUP, “Vissza is kapta, meg nem is eredeti nevét a kecskeméti honvédségi alakulat” (4 September 2026)Naming history 1958–2026.
- Honvédelem, “Tizenhárom honvédségi alakulat kapta vissza történelmi nevét” (4 September 2026)Restored name from 1 September 2026.
- AIP Hungary, AD 1.1 Aerodrome availability (HungaroControl, AIRAC 3 September 2026)Lists the military aerodromes LHKE, LHSN and LHPA with contact addresses only; no coordinates.
- AIP Hungary, AD 2 LHSM Hévíz-Balaton (HungaroControl, AIRAC 3 September 2026)Reference point, elevation (408 ft) and runway.
- AIP Hungary, AD 2 LHDC Debrecen (HungaroControl, AIRAC 3 September 2026)Reference point, elevation and runways.
- Magyar Honvédség 59. Szentgyörgyi Dezső Repülődandár (honvedelem.hu unit page)Airfield and unit history, squadrons, aircraft, commander.
- A kecskeméti repülőtér története (Ministry of Defence, PDF)Dated history of Kecskemét airfield 1932–2008.
- BAON, “Megváltozott a kecskeméti alakulat neve” (September 2026)Name history of the Kecskemét unit.
- WTinfo, “25 éve érkeztek Kecskemétre a MiG-29-esek” (29 November 2018)MiG-29 arrival and retirement dates.
- Honvédelem, “Megérkezett a Magyar Honvédség második KC-390 Millennium szállító repülőgépe” (21 November 2025)KC-390 deliveries; four more Gripens announced.
- BAON, “KC-390 katonai szállító repülőgép landolt Kecskeméten” (November 2025)L-39 Skyfox deliveries; KC-390 fleet complete.
- NATO, “First C-17 plane welcomed at Papa Airbase” (27 July 2009)Heavy Airlift Wing activation, nations.
- Hungarian Ministry of Defence, “Heavy Airlift Wing of Pápa Reaches Full Operational Capability” (November 2012)FOC date and early activity.
- Honvédség recruiting site, “A pápai bázisrepülőtér sikertörténete”Near closure in 2001, present tasks.
- Veol, “MH 47. Bázisrepülőtér: 25 éves a pápai katonai alakulat” (July 2026)25th anniversary; military aviation at Pápa since 1936.
- Magyar Honvédség Kiss József 86. Helikopterdandár (honvedelem.hu unit page)Szolnok airfield and unit history.
- Szoljon, “Már nem Kiss József – nevet váltott a szolnoki helikopterdandár” (September 2026)Renaming of 1 September 2026.
- Honvédelem, “Szolnokon az első két H225M helikopter” (17 July 2023)First H225M arrivals.
- HVG, “Teljes a honvédség helikopterflottája, megjött a hiányzó két H225M” (15 July 2025)All 16 H225M delivered.
- Honvédelem, “Teljes a magyar H145M-es flotta” (3 December 2021)20 H145M, delivery dates.
- Világgazdaság, Mi-24 and Mi-17 farewell at Szolnok (June 2026)Retirement ceremony 17 June 2026.
- Honvédelem, “Repülőtér: hatvan éve Taszáron”Taszár history 1928–2005.
- Honvédelem, “Reptértörténelem” (23 November 2015, updated 25 August 2020)Taszár chronicle; closure 31 December 2005.
- Veol, Bakony Combat Helicopter Regiment barracks (January 2026)87th regiment history, disbandment.
- Military-Technology blog, “Egy helikopterezred megszűnik, Szentkirályszabadja – 2004” (19 March 2021)Unit lineage and present use of the site (specialist blog).
- Szabó László István, “A magyarországi volt szovjet katonai repülőterek természetre gyakorolt hatásai és jelenlegi állapotuk”, Hadmérnök 15 (2020) 2, pp. 55–78Peer-reviewed survey of former Soviet airfields in Hungary.
- Sziget Civil Kontroll Egyesület, “A tököli repülőtér története” (16 August 2016)Local civic history (secondary).
- Budapestyes, “Tököli repülőtér: a Budapest melletti legfontosabb katonai bázis története”Local-history article (secondary).
- Honvédelem, “Elmarad a kecskeméti repülőnap” (2 June 2023)2023 show cancelled because of the war.
- GlobalSecurity.org, “Taszar Air Base”US Army Europe (Forward), NSE, 4400th Operations Squadron (Provisional), Marine F/A-18s 1999, flag lowered 30 June 2004.
- Magyar Honvédség Pápa Bázisrepülőtér (honvedelem.hu unit page)Official unit history 1936–2026, tasks, commander Col Sándor Barta.
- Strategic Airlift Capability, “History”Programme milestones 2006–2021.
- Honvédelem, “Bővülő légiszállító-kapacitás Pápán” (22 June 2024)Combined Aerial Port Facility handed over 19 June 2024; EUR 10 million; 33 m drying tower.
- Honvédelem, “C-17-es szimulációs felkészítés – már itthon is” (29 May 2025)Simulator facility opened 27 May 2025.
- Veol, “Példaértékű nemzetközi katonai együttműködés” (27 December 2016)SAC agreement renewed; 20,000 hours; hangar inaugurated November 2016.
- Veol, “Képviselők látogattak a pápai légibázisra” (28 October 2017)Three-phase development, planned 600 m runway extension, 70 new posts.
- Veol, “Pápára települnek a Gripen vadászgépek” (6 May 2019)Gripens and QRA moved to Pápa during Kecskemét runway works.
- MH 86. Szolnok Helikopterdandár (honvedelem.hu unit page)Official unit history 1940–2026 and tasks; gives 1 October 2004 for the regiment’s formation.
- Honvédelem.hu, Bajtársi megemlékezés (31 January 2021)Commemoration of Lt (posth.) Zsolt Lükő, killed in a training-flight accident thirteen years earlier.
- Honvédelem.hu, Mérföldkő a helikopteres fegyvernem életében (22 March 2022)Special-operations helicopter training; Zadar training centre.
- Honvédelem.hu, Szolnok légi bemutatóval ünnepelt (21 August 2026)National-day display over the Tisza with AS350B, Zlin, H145M and H225M.
- Honvédelem.hu, Az első önálló repülés (27 July 2020)NFTC candidates’ first solos at Szolnok before Canada.
- OurAirports airport database (public domain)
Figures verified 2026-09-29. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
Photographs: Photo: Andrej-airliner / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Alan Wilson from Peterborough, Cambs, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo (Gripen C shown): Alan Wilson from Peterborough, Cambs, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo (KC-390 in other markings shown): Alan Wilson from Peterborough, Cambs, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: U.S. Central Command Public Affairs / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Oldalszerkesztő / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Gaspar Cortez / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Boevaya mashina / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: André Gerwing / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo (AS350 in other markings shown): Kolforn / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo (Czech L-39NG Skyfox shown): Aero Vodochody / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo (Czech Zlín shown): RadekS / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Globetrotter19 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Nick / from United Kingdom / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo (Czech Mi-171Sh shown): Nick / from United Kingdom / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Rob Schleiffert from Holland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: 玄史生 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Jerry Gunner from Lincoln, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Varga Attila / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo (Polish-built MiG-17 shown): Lim-6, Polish Aviation Museum. Igor123121 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo (Polish-built MiG-15 shown): Lim-2. Alan Wilson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo (Polish Il-10 shown): Il-10, Polish Army Museum. Bene Riobó / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo (Polish Yak-9 shown): Yak-9P, Polish Army Museum. Bene Riobó / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Jim.van.de.Burgt / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: User:VargaA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: VargaA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo (Finnish Bf 109G shown): Erik Lyly / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Fortepan / Erky-Nagy Tibor / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)