Following a 20-year break, Hungary is to resume the training of military pilots and air traffic controllers at the National University of Public Service and the Szolnok air base.
Brig.-Gen. József Koller, the commander of the HDF Szolnok Helicopter Base, said that the launch of the training program is to replace military pilots leaving the air force and the commissioning of new aircraft.
He said that after four years of training, students may become fighter pilots, transport aircraft pilots or helicopter pilots. The brigadier-general told the “180 minutes” program on Kossuth Radio that pilot training will start with 15-20 students in 2018.
Meanwhile, István Simicskó, minister of Defence, announced that the Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF) will purchase two A319 Airbuses, and the planes will enter service with the HDF.
Minister Simicskó said that the aim is to ensure the continuous and phased development of the Hungarian Defence Forces. He added that the first phase of the Zrínyi 2026 National Defence and Armed Forces Development Program has already been launched.