Hungary’s Gripen Fleet to Get MS20 Block 2 Capability Upgrades

Saab will be delivering MS20 Block 2 capability upgrades to Hungary’s Gripen fighter aircraft which includes upgrading their radars, enhancing Link 16 functionality and enabling them to carry more weapons.

On Thursday, Saab said the Hungarian Government Commissioner Office responsible for defence development and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) successfully completed the negotiations for the MS20 Block 2 capability upgrade to the Hungarian fleet of Gripen jets. The company said it will deliver the upgrade.

The MS20 Block 2 upgrade brings a number of improvements. It greatly increases both Gripen’s combat and communication capabilities, as well as access to a wide range of weapons that can be integrated on Hungarian Air Force (HunAF) Gripen fighters. Sensor capability is being enhanced by a radar upgrade to the PS-05/A Mk 4 which means that the air-to-air target tracking range as well as the performance increases significantly. This allows better detection capability of small air- to-air targets, improved clutter suppression, and brings growth potential for further developments in the air-to air and air-to-ground modes.

The MS20 Block 2 upgrade for HunAF Gripen fleet also enhances the communication capabilities by enhancing Link16 (NATO Data link) functionality and updated voice communication to the latest NATO secure communication standard. Capability to identify coalition aircrafts will be also improved by introducing the latest Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) NATO Mode 5.

This upgrade will allow Hungary to choose from a wider selection of weapons to fit to their Gripens: IRIS-T - infrared Within Visual Range (WVR) Air to Air missile, GBU-49 - modern Air to Ground laser guided bomb and Meteor – an advanced, long-range, radar-guided, BVRAAM that is superior to other missiles of its type.