Arrival of New Skyfox Jets Marks the Beginning of a New Era

The Hungarian Air Force is opening a new chapter with the arrival of the first L-39 Skyfox jets to significantly advance the modernization of the defense forces. The new aircraft represent a key step on the road to establishing fully-fledged pilot training in Hungary. 

Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky emphasized the relevance of these new additions in a post on his social media page. “Hungarian pilots are getting new wings: the first L-39 Skyfoxes have arrived! We are continuously developing the Hungarian Air Force because protecting our airspace is crucial. These L-39 Skyfox military training and light combat aircraft not only strengthen the capabilities of the Hungarian Air Force, but also the protection of the Hungarian people,” said the Minister.

Zsolt Kutnyánszky, State Secretary for Military Development and Defense Policy, stressed at the reception of the first L-39 Skyfox combat training aircraft that our mission is to create security, because “a strong Hungarian armed forces and a well-trained air force are the guarantee of our common peace.” At the event held at the 101st Air Brigade “Szentgyörgyi Dezső” in Kecskemét (central Hungary), Kutnyánszky called the city the stronghold of Hungarian military aviation, and described the arrival of the aircraft as the beginning of a new era, honvedelem.hu reported.

Today is a milestone in the history of the Hungarian Defense Forces and the Hungarian Air Force,”

he said. The first L-39 Skyfox jet trainer aircraft have arrived, that are not only technologically advanced, but also symbolize the decisive, dynamic, and purposeful military development program that Hungary has launched in recent years and will consistently carry out, the politician noted.

As he said, the aircraft will serve the safety of the Hungarian people and represent another key step on the road to establishing independent and fully-fledged pilot training in Hungary. Following the Zlin motorized training aircraft already in service with the Szolnok helicopter brigade, the Skyfoxes represent the second step in the training chain. The aircraft are equipped with on-board systems that make them suitable for training on the most modern fighter aircraft, including the complex world of air combat, weapon systems, and tactical decision-making, he explained.

The state secretary pointed out that

the Air Force is not only expanding with these modern aircraft, but also with a new simulator training center, allowing combat situations to be modeled and decision-making to be practiced in a realistic virtual environment.

This center opens up new dimensions for Hungarian pilot training, he added.

As reported by Hungary Today, the first Hungarian pilots have already been trained on this aircraft type in the Czech Republic. Kutnyánszky noted that the government has been working hard for a decade and a half to strengthen Hungary’s sovereign defense capabilities. The government makes its decisions not based on external expectations and interests, but with the security of the Hungarian people in mind, he said. For them, the development of the Hungarian Defense Forces is not just a lofty promise, but a matter of national importance: a responsibility and a long-term commitment to the defense of the homeland, he underlined.

The defense development program will not only make Hungary stronger, but also our allies, as the new training system and the new aircraft will also be part of NATO’s European flight training program,

he explained.

Viktor Sotona, president of the Czech company AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE, supplier of the aircraft, praised the high quality of pilot training in Hungary. He recalled the contract signed in 2022, between the Hungarian Defense Forces and the Czech company for the development of tactical flight capabilities.

The L-39 Skyfox is a two-seat tactical training aircraft developed and manufactured by the Czech AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s., in which the Hungarian state has a partial stake. In accordance with the contract signed on March 31, 2022, eight jet aircraft and four aircraft equipped with reconnaissance systems will be integrated into the Hungarian Defense Forces by the end of 2028.

Technical specifications of the L-39 Skyfox:

• Wingspan: 9.371 meters
• Overall length: 11.83 meters
• Maximum flight speed (without attachments): 907 km/h
• Maximum flight speed (with underwing attachments): 861 km/h
• Maximum flight altitude: 11,582 meters
  Empty weight: 4,000 kilograms
• Maximum takeoff weight: 5,370 kilograms

Via honvedelem.hu, Featured image: MTI/Bús Csaba