Hungary takes over Slovenian air policing

Hungary has taken over responsibility for policing Slovenia's airspace, it was announced on 3 January.
Under the arrangement, Hungarian Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter aircraft will provide air policing coverage of Slovenian airspace.
Since Slovenia's accession to NATO in 2004, Italy has provided air policing of Slovenian airspace with Italian Air Force aircraft based in Italy. The policing of Slovenian airspace is one of three extant NATO air policing missions.
Hungary's Gripen fighters are deployed with the 59th Tactical Fighter Wing's 1st Tactical Fighter Squadron at Kecskemét Air Base in central Hungary. The entirety of Slovenian airspace will fall within the Gripen's combat radius when operating from Kecskemét.
Hungary first announced it would take over the Slovenian air policing mission under a November 2012 agreement. In July 2013 a subsequent agreement confirmed that the Hungarian air policing role would begin in 2014.
Alongside the Slovenian air policing mission, NATO members took responsibility for the air policing of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, under the Baltic air policing mission, when they joined NATO with Slovenia in 2004. NATO launched another air policing mission in 2009 when Albania joined the alliance. Unlike the Slovenian and Albanian missions, which are conducted on an essentially permanent basis (respectively by Italy and now Hungary; and Italy and Greece jointly), the Baltic mission is conducted on four-month rotations.
NATO nations have also deployed aircraft to Iceland under a NATO mandate since 2008, following the end of regular US aircraft deployments to the country in 2006, although in January 2013 the status of this deployment was changed to a training.
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Hungarian Aircraft to Perform Air Policing Over Slovenia, Baltic States

Under the terms of a NATO agreement, the fighter aircraft of the Hungarian Air Force will perform air policing over Slovenia and the Baltic States in the near future, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende announced at an event held in Miskolc on Tuesday, November 13.

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Heli-One (Canada) support attracts police attention

Canadian rotorcraft support specialist Heli-One is making a first appearance at ILA to boost its business in Europe - and has landed a contract from the Slovenian police force.


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Croacia y Eslovenia comprarán un caza conjuntamente/ Croatia, Slovenia to pursue joint fighter deal

Croacia y Eslovenia han acordado estudiar la compra conjunta de 12 nuevos cazas.
Croacia dispone de cazas MiG-21 cuya vida útil termina en 2011. Actualmente dispone de 10 unidades, estando solo cuatro operativa.
Se ha tenido en cuenta para su sustitución el Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16, RSK MiG-35 y el Saab Gripen, pero debido a restricciones presupuestarias no ha sido posible adquirir un sustituto.
Eslovenia dispone de nueve Pilatus PC-9M, con capacidad de disparar cohetes, ametralladoras y misiles AIM-9 Sidewinder, aunque su defensa aéra la proporciona Italia.
Podría formarse una fuerza aérea conjunta entre ambos países, y podría también adquirirse un avión de transporte de manera también.
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Croatia and Slovenia have agreed to form a new working group to study the possible joint procurement of at least 12 multirole fighters.
Croatia's remaining MiG-21s will reach the end of their service lives by the end of 2011. Two of its aircraft were lost in a recent mid-air collision, which reduced its fleet of the type to 10, but that includes only four operational examples.
The nation had postponed a new fighter tender due to budget constraints, with the Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16, RSK MiG-35 and Saab Gripen having been in contention. It is unclear when a decision could be made under the new bilateral arrangement.
The Slovenian air force has nine Pilatus PC-9Ms modified to carry unguided rockets and pod-housed machine guns. They are also wired to carry Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles, although Italy now provides air policing cover for the nation.
A joint Croatian/Slovenian air force could be established at the latter's Cerklje air base, with co-operation between the NATO members to also possibly be extended to a joint transport acquisition.
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