Hungarian Defence Forces

Orbán cabinet fired way too many military officers: no one left to use high-tech weapons

Orbán cabinet fired too many military officers

We reported earlier on the Hungarian government’s decision to sack many high-ranking military officers in January. The downsizing continued with middle- and low-ranking officers. The minister said the measure aimed to create a modern military with people able to use the new, high-tech weapon systems. The opposition claimed the only goal was to send away pro-NATO people from the defence forces. It appears neither side was right.

Ágnes Vadai, an MP of Hungary’s strongest opposition party, former PM Gyurcsány’s DK and a former defence secretary, said the only reason for sending high-ranking military officers to an early retirement was to shake off experienced and pro-NATO military leaders. She was proved to be wrong. Experts highlighted that the last Soviet troops left more than 30 years ago, so the new generation is more pro-NATO than any prior generation. Furthermore, they only know how to use weapons as well as communication and other systems of the Western alliance.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Hungary’s defence minister, said the reason for sacking so many soldiers and officers was to make room for the new generation who can use high-tech military devices and systems.

The print version of hvg.hu wrote that the Hungarian military was at its historic low in 2007 with only 24 thousand soldiers. In 2022, that number rose to 30 thousand, but Szalay-Bobrovniczky’s dismissals shattered that structure and the personnel. Since the defence forces now struggle with a lack of human capacities, they try to lure back some fired officers. Some agree, but their enthusiasm is no longer what it once was.

Read also:

  • Hungary’s armed forces are undergoing radical change, says defence minister – Read more HERE
  • Two Hungarian soldiers lost their legs after Kosovo attack

According to the plans, the military should reach 37,650 by 2026, which experts believe is impossible. And Szalay-Bobrovniczky’s activity in the field worsens the situation, hvg.hu’s sources said.

Péter Tarjányi, a Hungarian defence policy expert, was not surprised. He told Spirit FM that if there is not enough trained personnel, high-tech weapons and systems are futile. Furthermore, experience is crucial in the military. That is why the Hungarian defence forces needed to call back some officers who were previously compelled to retire.

Mr. Tarjányi also said that Budapest needs a military bridge near Csepel, Budapest’s 21st district. That is because the world has changed, and we need, for example, railroads that allow the defence forces to move from one part of the country to the other, even during the event of a war.

Minister: This African country is ally of Hungary

Szalay-Bobrovniczky minister hungary defence

Egypt is a crucial ally in fighting terrorism and illegal migration, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, said in a video message on Monday, after meeting counterpart Mohamed Zaki in Egypt.

The ministers reviewed the state of affairs of illegal migration and terrorism in north Africa and the situation in the Sahel, which, as a source of migration, Hungary considers important, according to the message posted to social media.

Also, the two countries share the opinion on the need for a ceasefire and peace negotiations in relation to the war in Ukraine, he said.

Cooperation between the two armed forces and defence industry developments were also the subject of discussions, the minister noted.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary strove to receive broad support from its own defence industry for its military development, and the strategic interests of the two countries coincided. Both Szaay-Bobrovniczky and Zaki examined the potential for cooperation, he added.

The Hungarian defence minister’s relevant video on Facebook:

Read also:

Hungary supports Caucasian country’s Euro-Atlantic integration

Hungary support Caucasian country

Hungary supports Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said after meeting Juansher Burchuladze, his Georgian counterpart, in Budapest on Friday.

Hungary will have a chance to promote Georgia’s aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration when it assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of next year, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. The minister said that after his visit to Tbilisi in the summer, Friday’s meeting had been an opportunity to boost cooperation between the two countries. Dialogue between Hungary and Georgia was “easy” given their similar cultures and geographical characteristics, he said. Both nations speak a unique language, have a “closed culture”, and are committed to the values of Christianity, he added.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky said they had reviewed the situation of the war in Ukraine, agreeing that it was a drawn-out bloody conflict that carried a risk of escalation. He said Georgia could be considered a “grandmaster of peace”, even though it was locked in a serious conflict with its neighbour, and he underscored Hungary’s support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and independence.

Read also:

Georgia, he said, was capable of preserving peace, and this was also Hungary’s goal when it came to the Russia-Ukraine war, he said, adding that only a ceasefire and peace talks could lead to conflict resolution. Szalay-Bobrovniczky said he and Burchuladze had also discussed possibilities regarding bilateral military and security policy cooperation. Hungarian and Georgian troops are both present in each other’s training exercises, he noted.

He added that he had also told Burchuladze about the military and economic opportunities in the defence industry investments being undertaken in Hungary. Burchuladze said he hoped Friday’s meeting would help elevate the cooperation between Georgia and Hungary.

Two Hungarian soldiers lost their legs after Kosovo attack

Two Hungarians soldiers lost their legs in Kosovo attack

Instead of one, two Hungarian KFOR soldiers’ legs were amputated following an attack in Kosovo. According to HVG, a medical error may have led to the drastic intervention.

According to hvg.hu, the Hungarian military officially acknowledged one amputation following an attack against the Hungarian KFOR unit in Kosovo in May. HERE is our article about what happened. Both the leadership of the KFOR and the Hungarian Ministry of Defence remained silent about the attack and its consequences. That is probably because the grim events overshadow the good Serbian-Hungarian relationship the Orbán cabinet always boasts about. However, we know that Serbian nationalists committed a violent attack against the Hungarian soldiers in the small town of Zvecan.

The attack’s antecedent was a Serbian protest against the newly-elected Albanian mayor of the town. However, the Serbs used not only plastic or glass but also homemade explosives and arms. As a result, Italian and Hungarian soldiers suffered serious injuries. Here is a video showing the war-like situation:

The Hungarian defence ministry issued only one statement and acknowledged only one amputation. Nevertheless, HVG has information about two soldiers whose legs had to be amputated as a result of the violent attack. Furthermore, according to HVG’s source, one of the drastic surgeries could have been prevented provided a prompt and professional medical intervention.

Read also:

Ministry remains silent about the seriously injured soldiers

Twenty-seven Hungarian soldiers were injured in the attack, 7 of them suffered serious injuries. A Hungarian medical team rushed to Kosovo shortly after the bloody fight and took 12 soldiers home for further treatment. On 7 July, two soldiers were kept in Budapest’s military hospital in serious condition. However, the ministry provided no information about their state or the amputations, nor did they make or publish an internal inquiry of the medical error. The Hungarian KFOR unit returned home on 30 August, and each member received the NATO Balkans Medal.

Hungarian DefMin: We are ‘alone in EU’ to urge ceasefire

Szalay-Bobrovnicky Kristóf

Hungary is “the only European Union member to demand an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations”, the defence minister said in a Facebook video concerning the war in Ukraine, uploaded on Wednesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of EU defence ministers in Toledo, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said the EU was “putting an enormous pressure on Hungary . to grant its approval to spending additional hundreds of millions of euros on weapons (to Ukraine)”.

“Hungary supports peace and stability at all levels and at every forum,” the minister said. He insisted that there was “no rapid military solution” to the war, but “EU countries would not change their position to continue fighting with weapons.”

Szalay-Bobrovniczky called Ukraine’s keeping Hungary’s OTP bank on a list of war sponsors “unacceptable” and said “as long as it stays like that, Hungary will not have further negotiations” concerning the proposed financial framework to Ukraine.

PHOTOS, VIDEOS: Air show and Europe’s biggest fireworks in Budapest

Budapest 20 August celebrations1 fireworks

Here is our photo and video report about Europe’s biggest fireworks and a spectacular air show celebrating 20 August, the birthday of Hungary.

We wrote HERE about the fantastic drone show entertaining the public on Hungary’s birthday in Budapest. But, of course, the highlight of today’s celebration was the spectacular Fire and Lights show.

 

Here is a video of the fireworks:

Here are some photos of the fantastic air show:

Finally, here is a video of the afternoon air show:

DefMin: Hungary stands by democratically elected Niger president

Defence Minister Niger

Hungary stands by the democratically elected president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, said on Facebook on Thursday.

“We are closely monitoring developments in Niger”, the minister said. “What is happening is dangerous and concerning,” he added.

“The Sahel region requires special attention because what happens there has a direct impact on the security of Europe, including Hungary, and the region plays a key role in restraining migration,” Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.

“It is our vital interest to strengthen the stability of the region, which is why this is one of the priorities of our EU presidency next year,” he said.

“Just over a month ago, these issues were also discussed with Niger’s defence minister in Budapest,” Szalay-Bobrovniczky added. “The defence cooperation agreement signed at the meeting was intended to provide a framework for this,” the minister said.

Hungary’s armed forces are undergoing radical change, says defence minister

hungary defence forces

Hungary’s armed forces are undergoing radical change as all its capabilities are in the process of being reformed and updated, Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, said on Monday in Szolnok at the ceremonial handover of new H225M helicopters.

By the time the reforms have been fully implemented, the health, safety and property of Hungarians will be truly protected, the minister said, adding that never before had there been such a high level of social and political support for the armed services.

The general staff has drawn up a plan for how the forces will appear in 2031 in terms of organisation, staffing and readiness, with a professional army equipped with high-tech weapons envisaged on the one hand, and a territorial defence force covering the whole country, mainly comprising reservists, on the other.

The delivery of the first two Airbus H225M helicopters out of 10 in total was an “important milestone” in fulfilling the plan, he said, noting today’s inauguration was of helicopters in troop transport configuration. Training will be undertaken right away with today’s arrivals, he added.

In addition, the special forces will receive six H225M helicopters equipped with unique HForce weapons specially developed for Hungary. The package includes a 20mm machine gun, a 70mm rocket launcher, and guided anti-tank missiles will be available at a later date, the minister noted.

Meanwhile, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said a brutal 20th century war was taking place in Hungary’s neighborhood to which the only solution was an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations.

He said Europe’s security situation would change radically different given the presence of battle-hardened forces to Hungary’s east and the constant pressure of illegal migration on its southern border.

As we wrote before, first two Airbus H225M helicopters have arrived for the Hungarian Defence Forces – PHOTOS

Strange decision: horse race betting to be under the defence ministry

Horse race betting horses Hungary

According to a recent government decision, the company organizing horse race betting in Hungary will operate under the Hungarian defence ministry.

The economic development ministry of Hungary decided to give the company organizing horse race bettings in Hungary to the defence ministry, hvg.hu.

Hungary to buy loitering munitions

Hungary will purchase loitering munitions to further develop its armed forces, the defence minister said at the “Tusványos” summer university at Baile Tusnad (Tusnádfürdő), in central Romania, on Friday. Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that the cutting edge, high-precision “kamikaze drones” could be recalled if there was no target.

He told a panel discussion that the development of Hungary’s military was making a “robust advance”, noting the replacement of outdated Soviet technology with new ones. The minister said development of the armed forces had “taken a German-French direction”. In 2021, Hungary was the biggest customer of Germany’s military industry, and last year the second biggest with one billion euros spent on purchases, he said. The minister said the decision to buy German-Israeli loitering munitions had been based on the lessons of the war in Ukraine. He told public media that the recallable drones will be purchased in cooperation with Germany’s Rheinmetall-UVision.

First two Airbus H225M helicopters have arrived for the Hungarian Defence Forces – PHOTOS

First two Airbus H225M helicopters have arrived for the Hungarian. Defence Forces.

The Hungarian Armed Forces took delivery of its first two Airbus H225M multi-purpose helicopters at an army base in Szolnok, in central Hungary, on Monday.

The two troop transport helicopters were welcomed at the base with a water cannon salute. The Hungarian military has ordered a total of 16 H225M aircraft.

The helicopters were welcomed by Brigadier-General József Koller and Colonel Zsolt Simon among others.

The two helicopters were inaugurated at the Airbus Helicopters plant in Marignane earlier this month. The H225M helicopters are designed and manufactured according the needs of the Hungarian military.

The suitability test of the H225M helicopter began in 2021, with special attention given to the particularities of the aircraft’s Hungarian configuration.

The Ministry’s experts first visited the manufacturer in March 2022, where they held a technical meeting with the experts responsible for the design and production of the helicopter type, as well as its operation and maintenance system. At the end of the process, type certification test flights were carried out on the helicopter with the manufacturer’s identification number IRO 011 between 28 February and 1 March 2023.

 

As we wrote a week ago, the first Hungarian-developed drone inaugurating flight takes place, details and photo HERE.

Minister: Hungary wants ceasefire and peace talks in Ukraine immediately

Hungarian defence minister

Hungary’s defence minister, in a public radio interview on Sunday, said Hungary and NATO broadly shared the position that neither could afford to get dragged into the war in Ukraine and neither provided any means that would escalate the conflict.

Neither Hungary nor NATO are delivering lethal weapons to the conflict, and both are working to prevent any escalation, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. At the same time, many NATO member states indulged in the rhetoric of war, he said. Conversely, Hungary fully backed an immediate ceasefire and launching peace talks, he said, adding that while its position was a minority one, the mood was shifting noticeably.

“That view is in minority, but the approach seems to be changing,” Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. The minister said there was no viable military resolution to the conflict. He said that Ukraine had not been invited to join the alliance at the Vilnius NATO summit because the country was not ready for this and a country at war would drag the whole alliance into the war.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted that Hungary is now spending 2 percent of GDP on its defence and is exceeding the other NATO requirement to spend 20 percent of the defence budget on military developments. The armed forces, he added, were getting to the point of proving its deterrence capability while bolstering the nation’s resilience.

Ordinary people, he said, increasingly understood the importance of the armed defence of the homeland and that “peace requires strength”. This means ensuring adequate defence spending and training non-commissioned officers and officers in territorial defence, he added. The minister said the Hungarian armed forces would have two foundations: a professional army comprising hi-tech-equipped professional soldiers and territorial defence regiments mainly consisting of reserve soldiers.

First Hungarian-developed drone inaugurating flight takes place

hungarian drone protar

The development of the Hungarian Armed Forces is only possible with the development of Hungarian defence industry, the state secretary for defence innovation said on Monday, at the inaugurating flight of the first Hungarian-developed drone.

The ProTAR drone was developed specifically for defence purposes, and boosts the air defence capability of the country, Imre Porkoláb said at the inauguration at an air base in Hajmáskér, in western Hungary.

Zsolt Molnár, the CEO of developer Rotors and Cams, said the drone could fly in formation at a maximum speed of 500 km/h. It can fly at 6,000 meters high and operate for 60 minutes before needing to be recharged, he said.

Hungarian soldier commits suicide in Kosovo

Hungarian soldiers Kosovo

A soldier from the Hungarian contingent of the KFOR (NATO-led peacekeeping force) has died. According to available information, he ended his own life.

“A soldier from the Hungarian contingent of the KFOR (NATO-led peacekeeping force) wounded himself with his service weapon while off duty, and is believed to have attempted suicide,” Magyar Nemzet reports, based on the information from the Ministry of Defence.

The soldier could not be helped by the doctors who arrived at the Kosovo camp and died during transport to hospital. The incident happened on 4 July and the investigation is ongoing. The relatives were immediately informed by the Hungarian Defence Forces.

KFOR’s 1999 mission started with around 50,000 troops, Magyar Nemzet writes. However, that number has now been reduced to less than 4,000. 27 countries are involved in this peacekeeping operation, but three countries provide the largest number of troops. These are Italy (715), the United States (561) and Hungary (469). Accordingly, these three countries dominate the leadership of KFOR. KFOR generally performs observer and support tasks. In peacetime, they mainly patrol and monitor the security situation.

Defence Minister: Hungary is a dedicated member of NATO

Hungary is a dedicated member of NATO

Hungary is a dedicated member of NATO, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky told a meeting of military and air force attaches on Monday.

Unlike most member states calling for a military solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Hungary maintains a pro-peace position, supporting ceasefire and peace talks, he said.

The minister pinpointed the recent pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, renewed tensions in the Balkans and migration as recent and ongoing security factors affecting Hungarians, adding that military diplomacy must find sovereign solutions to these challenges. He also highlighted the Serbia-Kosovo conflict from the point of view of Hungarian national security.

Meanwhile, he said Europe was threatened by armed conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, giving rise to Islamic jihadist movements whose terrorists may ride migration waves. Problems must be addressed at their point of origin rather than on the borders of Europe, he added.

Development of the Hungarian armed forces is reacting rapidly to the changing environment, the minister said, adding that this involved far more than the procurement of equipment. This, he said, enjoyed broad social and political support in recognition of the pressing need to revamp armed forces, a project that began a decade ago.

Besides the professional armed forces, a territorial defence force has been established to defend the homeland, while the domestic defence industry, involving R and D as well as manufacturing, is advancing apace, he said. Hungary, he noted, is already spending 2 percent of GDP on defence this year.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted Hungary’s participation in NATO operations such as the KFOR mission in Kosovo, airspace policing over the Baltics, and helping out Slovakia in its airspace policing until the arrival of their new fighter jets. Also, Hungary will assume the presidency of the EU in the second half of 2024, providing an opportunity to promote security policy, he added.

New procurements include PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers, multi-purpose H225M helicopters, Leopard 2A7 tanks, NASAMS air defence systems and Gridan armoured tactical vehicles. Next year L-39NG military trainer and light combat aircraft will be put into service, the minister noted.

As we reported in June, Hungarians would rather be closer to the Austrians and Germans than to the Russians, details HERE.

PM Orbán: Hungary needs a strong army

PM-Orbán-Hungarian-army-university

“We are ahead of times when weak nations will disappear and strong ones will survive, therefore we must strengthen our defence lines and law-enforcement organisations every day,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the National Public Service University’s inauguration ceremony of young police officers on Saturday.

“We are in times when the world’s foundations are shaking … with the global earthquake’s epicentre being right next door,” Orbán said referring to the war in neighbouring Ukraine, adding that Hungary was also “under siege” by illegal migrants in the south. “We need a strong country, strong government, strong economy, strong armed forces, and last but not least strong law enforcement,” the prime minister said. At the ceremony, held in front of the Ludoviceum, the university’s historical building, Orbán said the building was a symbol, that of “faithfulness to the homeland, serving the nation, responsibility for the community, the realisation that the strong have an obligation to save those weaker.” “We need strong people because truth is worth little without power,” he added.

Referring to young people choosing a career in law enforcement, Orbán said their choice was a “declaration of their Hungarian identity”, MTI wrote. “They will serve the peace and security of the Hungarian nation, commit themselves to staying strong in difficult times, protect the weak and the vulnerable, and stop those that jeopardise Hungary’s peace and security,” he said.

Orbán said the young officers had joined a “successful and respectable organisation … police officers in the past decade earned people’s trust and have retained that confidence.” Hungary’s crime rate has dropped, and the country has become “one of the safest or perhaps the safest” EU member, he added. The ceremony, at which 166 graduates took their oaths of office, was attended by Interior Minister Sándor Pintér, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, and top law enforcement officials.

Croatia helicopter crash: Coffins of Hungarian victims taken home

croatia helicopter crash victims coffins taken home

The coffins of the three Hungarian soldiers who died in a military helicopter crash in central Croatia last week were received with military honours at a ceremony at an army base in Szolnok on Tuesday.

The soldiers, Captain Ádám Radnai, Lieutenant Dávid Konrád and Ensign Tamés Lőrincz, were on board the helicopter which crashed during an exercise in Croatia on June 21. We reported on the tragedy HERE.

Their coffins covered with the Hungarian national flag were taken to a hangar at the base in front of a line of servicemen paying a salute.

At the ceremony, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said “today is the day of mourning”, adding that the three Hungarian soldiers had died serving their country. He expressed on behalf of the government, the defence ministry and the Hungarian Armed Forces the deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.

An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is still ongoing, he said, noting that the site of the crash is “an extremely difficult terrain”. The results of the investigation will be released to the public once those are available, the minister said.

The ceremony was attended by the victims’ family members, Hungarian army chief Gábor Böröndi and local politicians.

Body of third Hungarian soldier found after helicopter crash in Croatia

helicopter Croatia

The body of the third Hungarian soldier who died in a helicopter crash in Croatia on Wednesday has been found.

As we reported yesterday, a Hungarian military helicopter crashed in Croatia. It was known that two of the three soldiers on board had died, but the third was still being sought.

On Thursday morning, n1info.hr reported that a third body, believed to be under the wreckage of the helicopter, had been found.

According to reports, the body will be removed from under the wreckage today, Thursday.

Two Airbus H145 helicopters of the Hungarian Air Force have been on a training mission in Croatia. According to unofficial reports, the accident may have been caused by the pilot of the aircraft failing to notice a wire rope stretched on a cableway, which the aircraft caught on and then crashed. No explanation has yet been given as to why the helicopter flew so low that it could not avoid the rope stretched over the Cikola stream, index.hu reports.

Two killed in crash of Hungarian military helicopter in Croatia

helicopter Croatia

On Wednesday, a Hungarian military helicopter crashed, killing two and leaving a third crew member missing.

Croatia’s N1 reports that the Hungarian Armed Forces helicopter was taking part in a training exercise in Croatia when it crashed. Two bodies were found, the third crew member is still being sought.

The accident occurred in the Cikola Canyon and the Ministry of Defence said: “The rescue teams have found the wreckage of the helicopter, and during their search they have so far found the bodies of 2 soldiers, while a third is still being searched. The Ministry of Defence has immediately begun to inform the families, and the Ministry of Defence and the Hungarian Defence Forces will keep the families informed of developments.”

The Croatian Ministry of Defence and the Croatian mountain rescue service confirmed the news to 24Sata, as well as the fact that the helicopter was Hungarian. It also emerged that the plane did not crash in the Krk National Park, but in a Natura 2000 area.

UPDATE

Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky also voiced his condolences, adding that his ministry would arrange for the funeral rites.

The minister said a search for the third crew member was under way. He added that a committee from the Croatian air force, the country’s chief of staff, and political leaders were at the site.

Gábor Böröndi, chief of staff of the Hungarian military, and an expert team are on their way to Croatia, the minister said. Details of the accident will be made public once the investigation is completed, he added.

The minister declined to comment on press reports suggesting that the helicopter had collided with a steel cable.

Before the investigation is concluded, the Hungarian military will not fly its helicopters of the same type, Szalay-Bobrovniczky answered to another question.