Hungary To Replace Obsolete Helicopters With New Aircraft

The Hungarian government has decided to buy new airlifts and helicopters to “generate the national rotary-wing capability, which means the creation of an economically operated and modern fleet meeting the challenges of the 21st century,” Minister of Defence Csaba Hende was quoted as saying.

At a press conference, Minister Hende said that they had reached a four-party consensus and complete agreement on the key issues on the agenda. Both the rotary-wing and the fixed-wing capabilities must be preserved and recreated, because it is the interest of the country and the nation. In this spirit, the invitees unanimously thanked the Ministry of Defence for the professional preparation of these two issues, based on the available information. 

Minister Hende told the press that the representatives of the parties had agreed that the rotary-wing and fixed-wing capabilities of the Hungarian Defence Forces were obsolete, and the final loss of capabilities would be totally impermissible and unacceptable. The Ministry is currently working out a complex approach in order to be able to find the most economical and professional long-term solution, and to implement the optimal development projects. 

The Minister pointed out that the national rotary-wing capability must be generated. This means the creation of an economically operable, modern fleet which meets the challenges of the 21st century, being capable of carrying out tasks related to territorial defence and allied commitments, disaster management, counter-terrorism, air policing and other tasks of the national economy. The parliamentary parties gratefully approved the long-running preparations for the meeting, and the schedule for generating the national rotary-wing capability. 

On this basis, a team of MoD experts will examine the needs of Hungary and the Hungarian Defence Forces in order to formulate the statements of requirements by this autumn, then it will prepare a tender meeting all these requirements. The Ministry will put forward the latter to the parliamentary parties at the next four-party consultation, and then it will launch an EU public procurement procedure by the relevant laws. 

Potential bidders are required to hand in their proposals before next year’s parliamentary elections, so that the new government can make a virtually immediate decision about the procurement by a legal deadline. 

“The Ministry of Defence will take the most cost-effective course of action regarding the limited life-cycle extension of the helicopters currently in our possession” – the Minister pointed out. The planned overhauls will be carried out with the greatest transparency possible and with full public control, by accepting the cheapest available proposal in an open public procurement procedure.