HUNGARY PLANS TO BUY NEW CARGO AIRCRAFT TO REPLACE THE AGEING AN-26 FLEET

Hungary plans to buy cargo aircraft to replace the ageing An-26 fleet.

Hungary is currently pushing ahead its military modernization program which began 12 years ago with the lease of 14 Gripen fighter jets to replace the MiG-29 fleet. Over the past year, the nation has purchased second-hand A319 and Falcon 7x aircraft for VIP and troops transport and new Airbus H145M and H225M helicopters equipped with advanced weapons management system. Today the only aircraft left without a substitute in the fleet of the Hungarian Armed Forces is the An-26 airlifter.

According to a news appeared on dailynewshungary.com and the information received from our local source, Hungary is looking at a new transport aircraft to replace the old cargo plane. Chief of Staff Tibor Benkő said the nation intends to buy a reconditioned or new plane designed for military purposes and equipped with a rear loading ramp.

The market mainly offers 3 NATO-standard midsize military transport aircraft: the Leonardo C-27J, the Lockheed Martin C-130 and the EADS CASA C-295. It is difficult to say which aircraft will choose the country, but surely the most recent system on the market is the new variant of the proven C-27J introduced by Leonardo on December 3, 2018. The Italian-made transport aircraft has been purchased by many countries to meet the same needs as Hungary as it can cover several roles and operate from semi-prepared runways. In addition, the new variant has modern features combined with a very low operating cost.

Written by Matteo Sanzani