Hungary has deployed new 3D NATO radar to protect NATO and Hungarian airspace 11607151.

The Minister stressed at the ceremony held on the occasion of the deployment of the new radar complex: "thanks to the cutting-edge technology and the top-of-the-range fighter planes, we may now proudly say that we are doing everything that can be done here, in Europe today, at the beginning of the 21st century, with a view to defending our domestic airspace”.

He added: the new radar station contributes to the protection of not only the airspace of Hungary but that of the whole of NATO. The military alliance has such faith in the operation of the radar that it financed 94 per cent of the construction costs from its own budget, and NATO will also provide funding for the operation of the radar during its lifespan, up to 2033, Mr Hende said.

The Minister reiterated that the Horn Government decided on the installation of a new radar station in 1998; however, by 2010 the projects planned for both the Zengo and Tubes locations had fallen through „because they failed to explain to the people why this radar is important ".

The greatest achievement is that the people of Medina in Tolna County decided to side with the cause of defence „out of their own free will, and based on their own best interests”, he remarked.

Csaba Hende further pointed out that more than half a million aircraft traverse Hungary’s airspace annually, and in order to manage this volume of aerial traffic safely, it is essential to have a sophisticated, modern airspace monitoring system in place.