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-27, the Lockheed Martin C-130 and the EADS CASA C-295. It is difficult to say which aircraft will choose the country, but certainly the most recent novelty on the market is the new variant of the proven C-27J presented by Leonardo on December 3, 2018. The Italian transport aircraft has been bought by many nations to meet the same needs of Hungary and 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