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Hungary has offered a strategic air evacuation capability to support the Polish-led EU Battlegroup (Visegrád Battlegroup, V4 EUBG), the press secretary of Brigadier General Csaba Ugrik, representing the Hungarian Defense Forces, announced.
According to the information, Poland has offered a battlegroup for the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025 to fill the gaps in the EU rotation plan. Due to the unexpected nature of the task, Poland has requested the assistance of the other Visegrád countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) to fill the capability gaps in the Polish battlegroup.
Hungary has offered a so-called strategic air evacuation capability (StratAirMedEvac) to the battlegroup,
which will be provided by an Airbus A319 aircraft with a crew of navigators, support and medical personnel and 200 hours of flight time (100 hours in 2024-II, 100 hours in 2025-I).
The Airbus A319. Photo via honvedelem.hu
The Hungarian force offered in support of the Polish-led EUBG will be called MH EUBG StratAirMedEvac, which, while not directly part of the Polish-led EUBG, will provide a strategic support capability on standby from a home base. If required, the Hungarian contingent can therefore be called upon to perform strategic air medical evacuation missions in support of EUBG operations.
Strategic air medical evacuation primarily involves the repatriation of the Polish-led EUBG wounded military force from the area of operations, with professional medical care. The possible destinations of the transport are in principle Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava, but other airports may be evacuated on a case-by-case basis.
Hungary plans to participate in the Polish-led Battlegroup in a more significant way next in 2028.
The Visegrád Battlegroup or V4 EU Battlegroup currently has around 2,400 members and was established in 2015. It carried out its first deployment in the first half of 2016 and will now be deployed for the fourth time, after also carrying out a mission in the first half of 2023.
EU Battlegroups will rotate on standby, with the aim of being able to deploy in a crisis situation within a 6,000-kilometer radius of Brussels within 10 days. They have never been deployed in a live situation before.
Via MTI; Featured image via honvedelem.hu