Hungarian Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky announced a historic agreement with Sweden to jointly develop the Gripen fighter jet. This cooperation elevates Hungarian–Swedish relations to a strategic level, the minister stated.
The Hungarian Ministry of Defence and the HDF’s joint initiative Szeretem, megvédem! (I love it, I protect it!) started in June, looking to recruit new people into the Army’s territorial reserve units. Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky has informed the public that since the start of the programme, over 2,000 people have joined.
At the reception ceremony for the new aircraft Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky emphasized that Hungary is a pro-peace country, and the government is committed to both peacebuilding and peacekeeping, which requires making sure that the Hungarian airspace is safe.
In 2016 the Hungarian government embarked on a military development programme driven by the need for a strong military capable of protecting the lives, property, and culture of Hungarian citizens, as well as fulfilling the country’s NATO obligations. The setting up of the Territorial Defence Forces Command was part of this effort.
Since some data indicated that a storm was inbound, a task force gathered to assess whether or not the fireworks show could be safely held. Albeit with an hour delay, it was eventually allowed to move forward, with over 45,000 individual pyrotechnical effects and 1,300 drones entertaining the crowd.
This year’s presidential election in the United States was a prominent topic at MCC Feszt 2024. A whole panel of speakers, namely Miklós Szánthó, James Carafano, Mark Milosch, and István Stumpf, discussed how they see the contest between Republican Donald J. Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris is shaping up.
Hungarian military force development is currently taking place in several dimensions: rearmament, real estate and infrastructure development, and transformation of the HDF’s organizational culture. On the second day of this year’s MCC Feszt, Hungarian Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky gave a comprehensive overview of the current state of the Hungarian armed forces, future plans, and why he considers Hungary a military nation.
The munitions manufacturing facility at the Várpalota Defence Industrial Complex, operated in partnership with German Rheinmetall, will contribute to reducing Hungarian dependence on supply chains, Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky stated at the inauguration ceremony on Monday.
During the handover ceremony, Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky highlighted that the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the necessity for every country to have a well-functioning defence industry capable of supplying the nation at all times and in all situations.
The Hungarian Defence Forces are set to receive a total of sixteen medium-lift rotary-wing aircraft from Airbus Helicopters, as part of the government’s force development programme.