HUNGARIAN GRIPENS BALTIC PATROL

Hungarian Gripens

Istvan Toperczer reports rotation. Recently Russian fighters and In mid-2015, the Gripen pilots were qualified for in- STEPbombers have been involvedUP in several flight refuelling, and night interceptions. All the QRA- from Siauliai Air Base airspace violations over the Baltics certified pilots are involved in the Baltic Air Policing in on the following the crisis in Ukraine, making mission; and work on a shift rotation basis regularly Hungarian this area of significant interest to NATO. deploying between Lithuania and Kecskemét in JAS39 Gripens' Being a NATO member, order to maintain their NATO-approved rating. is obligated to help Maintenance during the deployment participation in the defend the wider interests of is provided by HuAF team of technician ongoing Baltic Air the organisation. Besides local crews — the Lithuanian air transport fleet Policing mission. air defence of its home nation, the together with HuAF An-26s providing weekly HuAF protects Slovenian airspace, and logistical flights between the two air bases. UNGARIAN AIR Force JAS-39 Gripens are carries out air policing in the Baltics. Hnow edging towards the end of their Baltic The Hungarian quick reaction alert (QRA) Setting up Shop air policing tasks, at Siauliai AB in Lithuania. With force deployed to Siauliai with four Gripens On August 27, HuAF ground crews and ’s aggressive posturing and the annexing which will be carrying out air policing duties their equipment arrived at Siauliai on board of the Crimea, NATO is leaving nothing to from here until December 2015. There are C-27J Spartans and HuAF chance. It is now contributing fighters to defend more than 80 deployed personnel, many of An-26s. The Gripens arrived in a pair of two-ship the skies over , and Lithuania whom have come from Kecskemét Air Base. formations, and five days later, German Air Force because they do not have their own fighters. Typhoons began their four-month alert nearby. The Hungarian jets from the Szentgyörgyi Preparation For the first five days the Gripens remained in Dezso˝ (Puma ) at Kecskemét, make The HuAF personnel started their training last hangars, leaving the QRA sheds free for Italian up on element of NATO’s 39th Baltic Air Policing year. They carried out preparation according to Air Force Typhoons finishing their four-month detachment. They arrived in early September NATO directives and the pilots performed tactical NATO detachment. A handover-takeover for a four-month stay. Beside the Hungarian simulator sorties at the Simulator ceremony took place on August 31, with the Gripens, German Air Force Typhoons are also Centre (FLSC - Flygvapnets Luftstrids Simulerings Hungarian detachment taking over from the undertaking air policing from Estonia’s Ämari Centrum) in Stockholm. After this, the squadron departing Norwegian Air Force F-16 unit. Air Base in support of the detachment. flew to the Swedish weapons range at Vidsel The HuAF detachment will follow the same Under NATO’s guidance each allied member where live weapons could be fired including AIM-9 procedures as adopted by previous squadrons. has been providing air policing on a four-month Sidewinder AAMs, and gunnery practice carried out. The policing operation itself is similar to any

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78-80 Gripens Jan DJAW.indd 78 07/12/2015 09:16 HUNGARIAN GRIPENS BALTIC PATROL

Left: After a Tango-scramble, the two Hungarian QRA JAS-39Cs break off to land at Siauliai AB. The Hungarian Gripens fly armed with two AIM-9L Sidewinders, two AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM missiles, fully loaded guns and two drops tanks (each of 1,100 litres) underneath the wings in order to extend combat air patrol time over the and sea. All images by Istvan Toperczer

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domestic QRA, only the operating environment is different. Lithuania has a vast coastline with ‘Occasionally pilots have had to use an emergency much of its airspace over the water and this is frequency to contact the intruder or, fl y in close where most violations of its airspace occur. formation and use hand signals.’ Practising Alert Beside the ‘real world’ alerts (Alpha-scrambles) the Gripen pilots are carrying out training QRA missions (Tango-scrambles). Training sorties are planned with the German Air Force Typhoon detachment, to ensure all the aircrews follow local and NATO flight procedures as well. The HuAF Gripens receive their scramble order from NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) located at Uedem, . There is an instant communication connection to Siauliai AB via the Lithuanian Combined Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) at Karmelava. Right: The Hungarian Gripens from Regardless of whether it is an Alpha or Tango Szentgyörgyi Dezso˝ Air Base are scramble, everything takes place to a strict set of fulfi lling the air policing tasks over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Their rules. The pilots, already kitted out with helmets mission is the 39th detachment of and kneepads, are driven to their jets in a mini- NATO aircraft in the Baltics. The van; alerted technicians open the hangar doors Gripens had arrived from Kecskemét and wait for the aircrew to arrive. After a rapid in September 2015 and are staying strap-in, the engines spool up, pilots do their for four months. In addition to the last checks and technicians perform a final walk Hungarian Gripens, German Air around of the aircraft checking the live weapons. Force Typhoons are providing NATO The Gripens fly with two AIM-9 Sidewinders, air policing from Amari Air Base in Estonia. two AIM-120 AMRAAMs, loaded guns and two Below: A Hungarian JAS 39C breaks drops tanks that extend the time of a CAP. off behind a Lithuanian C-27J According to NATO rules, the basic formation Spartan transport aircraft after a for QRA is a two-ship. The leader is responsible Tango scramble. for identifying the violating aircraft, while the wingman covers the leader’s rear. Occasionally pilots have had to use an emergency frequency to contact the intruder or, fly in close formation and use hand signals. After returning to base, HuAF technicians quickly turn around the Gripens and refuel the jets to get them back on QRA status. In the event of malfunctions that cannot be fixed at Siauliai, a replacement Gripen is flown in from Hungary and the faulty jet is flown home if possible. The first Alpha scramble occurred on September 11, 2015, when Gripens inter- cepted a Russian An-26 Curl transport - around 20 more intercepts had taken place by early December. The interception had been ordered by NATO’s CAOC in Germany. This was the first time the HuAF had carried out such an intercept abroad. Current plans call for the HuAF Gripens to return to the Baltics in 2019, for another four months’ deployment. afm

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