Defense Forces Support EUFOR Mission with High Tech Helicopter

From October, a new Airbus H225M helicopter of the Hungarian Defense Forces will replace the Mil Mi-17 helicopter used by the European Union’s peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, announced Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky.

Mr Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that the aircraft of the Defense Forces’ Kiss József 86th Helicopter Brigade arrived on Monday September 30 from Szolnok (central Hungary) to its new duty station at the Camp Butmir near Sarajevo, where it will carry out tactical airlift missions for the next three months.

Photo: Honvedelem.hu

The minister stressed that

the helicopter capability of the European Union’s peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUFOR Bosnia-Herzegovina Military Operation ALTHEA, would be further enhanced by the use of the H225M,

which is much more modern than the Mi-17, which, for all its good qualities, is an outdated aircraft.

Fact

Operation ALTHEA, or formally known as EUFOR (European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina), is an international force operating under the authority of the European Council. The military operation was launched on December 2, 2004, nine years after the Bosnian War, with the main task of the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Following a decision by the Political and Security Committee of the European Union, Hungary offered to lead EUFOR ALTHEA for the first time in January 2024. Major General Dr. László Sticz, Commander of the Military Modernization and Transformation Command at the Hungarian Defense Forces, is leading the European Union peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina for one year.

The H225M, procured under the Hungarian force development program, is one of the world’s best new long-range tactical military transport helicopters. All its instruments are digital, it is equipped with night vision goggle capability and de-icing system, and it can land at night in unprepared areas – outside an airport – if necessary.

This type of helicopter has already proven its worth in August in north Macedonia, where it was involved in fighting forest fires for several days.

The politician pointed out that serving in EUFOR ALTHEA is an excellent opportunity for pilots to gain experience, as the high mountain flying and the foreign language environment greatly facilitate their professional development.

He recalled that the international recognition of the Hungarian soldiers is proven by the fact that the European Union mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina is led this year by a Hungarian commander, Major General Dr. László Sticz.

As a new task, the Hungarian contingent will in 2024, for example, provide air transport, air search and rescue and air evacuation capabilities with a helicopter sub-unit,

and the artillery team offered in previous years has been expanded with a canine patrol, Mr Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted.

Photo: Honvedelem.hu

Ten H225M helicopters are already in service at the Hungarian Defense Forces. In December 2018, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters, a global helicopter manufacturer and support company, for the procurement of 16 H225M aircraft under a large-scale military and national defense development program. The first helicopters arrived in Hungary in the summer of 2023 from the production center in Marignane in the south of France.