Page 97 - AirForces Monthly - Issue 381 (December 2019)

The air policing operation itself was similar to
domestic QRA, only the operating environment
was different. As it had been during its first
deployment to the Baltics in 2015, this year
Hungary was again the lead nation on BAP.
As such it provided fully armed Gripens on
alert round the clock throughout the four-
month period. Meanwhile, the Spanish and
British forces shared their duties on a weekly
rota. When not assigned ‘hot’ weeks, these
augmenting nations undertook training
sorties using ‘cold’ jets without armament.
With the three Baltic states running roughly Above: A Hungarian Gripen gets in close for a good
north to south, the southern sector was view of Russian Navy Il-38N ‘03 Yellow’/RF-75338,
assigned to the Hungarians and Spanish, which is named ‘Fyodor Zolotukhin’. This maritime
patroller previously wore the tactical code ‘78 Yellow’
operating from Šiauliai. For unidentified and its nose shows signs of the repainting. HUNAF
aircraft approaching from the north, RAF Left: Hungarian Gripen pilots were exposed to a wide
Typhoons would be scrambled from Ämari. range of Russian military aircraft and weapons –
However, if the RAF jets were already some of which are seen displayed in one of the

briefing rooms. These printouts are annotated with
airborne on a live or practice sortie, or were distinguishing features and marked with the various
returning to land with low fuel state, NATO’s interception dates. Below: HUNAF Gripen pilots
F
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fi
ft
ft
Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) discuss their latest BAP mission. The aircrews were
located at Uedem, Germany, would scramble rotated throughout the four-month deployment to

give all QRA-certified pilots a chance to take part.
the Gripens to the northern sector.
Hungarian Gripens took
part in 50 live scrambles
during the 50th rotation of
NATO’s Baltic Air Policing
mission. Lt Col István
Toperczer joined them
as they patrolled the skies
of Estonia, Latvia and
Fifty-fi fty Lithuania this summer.

www.Key.Aero #381 December 2019 // 95

94-97 Gripen AFM Dec2019.indd 95 08/11/2019 16:46:26