US to Upgrade Hungary NATO Base to Include Nuclear-Capable Fighter Jets
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Government contracts indicate the US is planning to upgrade its Kecskemét military air base in Hungary to house F-15 Eagle strike tactical fighter jets that are certified to carry B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs, the Telegraph UK reported on Monday, October 15.
Located southeast of Budapest, Kecskemét air base is also expected to be supplied with A-10 Warthog close support aircraft and C-5 Galaxy transport planes.
In a report about the upgrade, Newsweek notes that, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO has worked to strengthen its Eastern flank close to Russia: formerly neutral Sweden and Finland have now joined the alliance as part of this effort.
“The US is a leading member of the NATO alliance, which has explicitly labeled Russia as the “most significant and direct threat” to its member states, as well as other countries across Europe and across the Atlantic,” Newsweek said.
Despite Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban asserting in July that Russia’s leadership is “hyper-rational” and that Ukraine would never be able to join NATO, the US has a 2021 implementation agreement with Hungary that would allow Washington to access Kecskemét air base, as well as the Pápa air base in the west of the country.