Hungary's military development plan, approved in 2012 and endorsed by NATO, does not need to be changed, only to be speeded up, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende said in an interview given for a radio station.

Csaba Hende told public Kossuth radio on Monday that most of the defence technology of the Hungarian Armed Forces was purchased in the 1970s-1980s. With the exception of Gripen fighter jets and Mistral missiles, the technology is prone to be outdated soon, he said.

A ten-year plan drawn up in 2012 contains a step-by-step outline cost itemization of how the technology can be upgraded, he said.

At its Wales summit, NATO agreed to set up a rapid-response force of several thousand troops, in which Hungary is also participating. Hungary is hosting military exercises near Veszprém and has also pledged a HUF 20 billion (EUR 64.6 million) upgrade its airbase in Pápa.

Since Saturday the Hungarian army, by providing the Gripen fighter planes for airpolicing porposes has helped the protection of the Slovenian airspace. The Hungarian military air force will provide the same air policing aid for the three Baltic states during next year.

(MTI)