Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban Continues Defense Shopping Spree
A test of the Kongsberg/Raytheon NASAMS Air Defence System. Source.
Hungary has agreed to purchase the NASAMS air defense system from American arms manufacturer Raytheon Technologies and Norwegian defense company Kongsberg, the parties announced on November 19th. NASAMS - short for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System - is a mid-range air defense system that aims to “identify, engage and destroy current and evolving enemy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle and emerging cruise missile threats.”
NASAMS has been “integrated into the U.S. National Capital Region’s air defense system since 2005” according to Raytheon Technologies’ website and is used by eleven different countries.
The new system would replace the outdated 2K12 "Kub" that has been in use in Hungary since 1976. The Soviet-engineered Kub system pales in comparison to the cutting-edge NASAMS. With the purchase of AMRAAM-ER extended range missiles, the NASAMS system will have twice the range of the Kub system as well as improved threat detection, rapid communication, and integration into the state’s larger defense apparatus. Hungary’s commissioner for defense developments said that the implementation of this system would “restore the military’s defensive capabilities to a 21st-century standard.”
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has argued that Hungary “must be capable of repelling attacks from any direction” without the support of NATO, of which Hungary is a member. Orban has also pushed for the creation of a European army to defend against both potential Russian attacks as well as stopping incoming migrants from seeking shelter in Europe. “Europe cannot even continue to exist without an alliance - a joint EU army,” Orban remarked after a European Council meeting in 2016.
Hungary has been on a shopping spree of military and defense technology in the past few years. These purchases are part of Hungary’s ten-year Zrinyi 2026 military development program with the aim to upgrade the country’s weapons and defense forces. Two Airbus H145M military helicopters were delivered to Hungary this week as part of a larger deal with Airbus for the purchase of 36 helicopters, signed in 2018. Earlier this week, Hungary completed a deal with Brazil to purchase two Embraer C-390 Millennium transport aircraft. Hungary purchased 44 Leopard 2 A7+ tanks and 24 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers from Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in 2018 and received the first batch this year.
The NASAMS air defense system is the cherry on top of the Hungarian government’s effort to modernize their defense apparatus. In August, Hungary signed a declaration of intent with the United States on the purchase of $1 billion worth of air defense missiles manufactured by Raytheon. These Raytheon missiles are likely to be the projectiles which will be used with the NASAMS air defense system, but public details are limited at this time. The U.S. Embassy in Budapest has labelled the deal Hungary’s “largest-ever defense procurement from the United States.”
While the deal is remarkable, don’t expect results immediately. Hungary will not take possession of the NASAMS air defense system until 2023, according to a statement from the Hungarian government. However, observers should watch for change in the European political landscape as Hungary’s advanced military comes together purchase-by-purchase. NATO, Russia, and the EU are watching to see if Hungarys will accomplish its ambitions of becoming a large-scale player.