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A week after the Baltic Air Defense Readiness Unit of the Hungarian Defense Forces took over airspace policing duties in the Baltic region, the Hungarian Gripen fighters were scrambled for the first time. The alert was triggered by Russian aircraft, Honvedelem.hu reports.
The Hungarian fighter jets were scrambled on August 8, 2025, due to unidentified aircraft. At 11:26 a.m. local time, at an altitude of 11,000 meters, in accordance with international procedures,
the air force successfully intercepted and identified aircraft over the Baltic Sea that did not establish radio contact with air traffic control, did not have a flight plan, and did not use a transponder.
As a result, NATO’s Combined Air Operations Center in Germany issued an Alpha alert. Following the interception and identification, the Gripen fighter jets returned to their base in Lithuania.
Since August 1, 2025, for a period of four months, the Hungarian Defense Forces, as the lead nation, have been performing Baltic Air Policing (BAP) tasks with approximately 80 soldiers and four JAS-39 Gripen fighter aircraft, jointly with Spain and Italy under NATO command.
Since Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined NATO in 2004, the allied countries have guaranteed the security of the three Baltic countries’ airspace in four-month rotations in the spirit of collective defense. The Hungarian Defense Forces’ Baltic Air Defense Readiness Unit, based at Siauliai Airport in Lithuania, is performing its duties as the 69th rotation of BAP.
Hungary is participating in the mission for the fourth time.
The Hungarian Defense Forces previously led the Baltic Air Policing mission from September 2015, to January 2016 (with Germany), from May to August 2019 (with Spain and the UK), and from August to December 2022 (alongside the air forces of the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Belgium, and Italy).
Via Honvedelem.hu, Featured image: MTI/Ujvári Sándor