Czech and Hungarian Air Force technicians train in Sweden’s Grippen facility
With the successful delivery of the last three Hungarian Gripens in December 2007, the Hungarian and Czech Republic Air Forces have now have their full complement of Gripen new generation fighters. A vital part of the agreement between these European and NATO nations and Sweden, is the training of all pilots and technicians needed to fly and maintain Gripen fighters in the Czech Republic and Hungary.
This month, a further twenty (20) Czech and twenty (20) Hungarian Air Force technicians started their training courses at the Swedish Armed Forces technical school outside the town of Halmstad in Sweden.
The technicians are given a full maintenance type conversion course for the Gripen fighter as well as training on the ground support equipment which is delivered with the aircraft.
Following their training, the technicians will be certified for maintenance on the Gripen fighter and be fully prepared to undertake maintenance activities on the aircraft at operational air bases in Hungary and Czech Republic.
To date, fifteen (15) pilots and thirty-eight (38) technicians from the Hungarian Air Force and twenty-one (21) pilots and fifty (50) technicians from the Czech Republic Air Force have been successfully trained in Sweden.
Further pilot and technician training courses are planned for 2009.