皇冠体育app

皇冠体育app UK鈥檚 Ambassador to Hungary has praised strong ties between the UK and NATO allies Hungary, following the Royal Air Force鈥檚 first ever deployment of a C-17 strategic transport aircraft to the country for night flying training. 皇冠体育app 99 Squadron C-17, based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, will work with the Hungarian Air Force (HAF) to conduct night vision goggle training at Hungary鈥檚 specialist C-17 airbase, P谩pa. A Saab Gripen fighter from the HAF鈥檚 59/1 鈥楶uma鈥� Squadron escorted the C-17 during its first day of training to welcome the RAF to Hungary.

P谩pa Airbase is home to the Heavy Airlift Wing, an alliance of 12 countries that use the C-17 for long-range heavy airlift. As a dedicated C-17 base, P谩pa has a number of facilities designed to train aircrew to fly the aircraft in the most demanding conditions, including night operations and assault landings. 99 Squadron鈥檚 deployment 鈥� dubbed Exercise Hungary Puma 鈥� focussed on training with night vision goggles, taking advantage of P谩pa鈥檚 clear airspace and specialist lighting capabilities.

Following a C-17 flight, Gripen intercept and assault landing with VIPs from the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, HM Ambassador Iain Lindsay said:

It was fantastic to fly with the C-17 crew and to see an intercept by Gripens from the Hungarian Air Force. This is the first time we鈥檝e seen the RAF working at P谩pa; it鈥檚 a fantastic facility and I hope to see the RAF鈥檚 C-17s back here soon. 皇冠体育appre鈥檚 plenty of scope for us to see more cooperation in the future.

99 Squadron pilot Flight Lieutenant Ben Mountfield, said:

This is a fantastic opportunity for us to train at an airfield specifically designed for C-17s. It鈥檚 great to enjoy the free airspace around P谩pa, which allows us to manoeuvre the aircraft to develop our tactical procedures. Our NATO allies here in Hungary have been so welcoming 鈥� they鈥檙e beyond reproach. We鈥檙e absolutely looking forward to working with them again.

Editor: Sqn Ldr Andy Wasley

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