Hungary has the most modern helicopter fleet in Europe, stressed Dennis Bernitz, Head of Western Europe Sales at Airbus Helicopter, at the handover ceremony.Continue reading
From July 7 to 25, the annual U.S. combat and rescue exercise will take place in Hungary once again at the Hungarian Air Force’s 47th base. The exercise has been conducted annually since 2022, in cooperation between the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and the Hungarian Defense Forces, reports honvedelem.hu.
The “Jolly Storm” (“Jolly Vihar”) exercise is taking place in Hungary for the fourth time. Three aircraft from the 56th Combat Search and Rescue Squadron, stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy, arrived at the military airfield in Pápa (western Hungary) in July with the latest helicopter converted for special tasks.
This year, for the first time, the contingent is bringing the latest HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter to Hungary.
This model was developed as the successor to the HH-60G Pave Hawk and is based on the modernized UH-60M Black Hawk. The first models flew in 2019, and the unit in Aviano completely switched to the HH-60W by the end of 2024.
US Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter flies over Aviano, Italy, on February 12, 2020. Photo: Wikipedia/U.S. Air Force – Airman Thomas S. Keisler IV
Commanders will deploy units equipped with the HH-60W to rescue isolated personnel from enemy or restricted territory, day or night, in adverse weather conditions and in a variety of threat environments, from terrorist to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN). They will also practice humanitarian missions, civil search and rescue operations, disaster relief, medical evacuations, and evacuations of non-combatants.
As in previous years, the 47th Air Base in Pápa is the logistical center of the exercise, aiming to expand Hungarian-American cooperation and improve the defense capabilities of both countries.
Via honvedelem.hu, Featured image: honvedelem.hu