Hungary receives final Gripen combat aircraft
With deliveries of the follow-on batch now complete, Hungary fields 18 Gripen C/D combat aircraft. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
Hungary has received from Sweden the final two new Gripen C combat aircraft of a follow-on batch that was ordered in 2024, the manufacturer Saab announced on 24 June 2026.
The single-seat jets are the second half of a batch of four additional Gripen Cs ordered by the Hungarian Air Force (HuAF) in February 2024.
With 14 Gripen C/D aircraft having been leased from Sweden in 2001 and entering service in 2006, Hungary now operates a total of 18 Gripen C/D (16 Gripen C and two Gripen D) aircraft to protect and defend Hungarian and NATO airspace.
Although not mentioned by Saab, these additional aircraft are at the latest MS20 Block 2 standard that has been retrofitted to the HuAF's existing Gripen fleet. This standard includes upgrades to the Saab PS-05/A Mk4 radar to improve both air-to-air target tracking range and overall performance, enhanced Link 16 datalink capabilities, as well as installing the latest NATO Mode 5 standard identification, friend-or-foe (IFF) system.
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