US To Expand NATO Air Base To Hold Nuclear-Capable Fighter Jets [View all]

Source: Newsweek

Published Oct 15, 2024 at 7:36 AM EDT


The U.S. will expand an air base in Eastern Europe to house nuclear-capable fighter jets, according to a new report, after years of cultivating closer ties with Hungary under broader efforts to strengthen the NATO alliance's borders with Russia.

British newspaper The Telegraph reported on Monday that government contracts indicate plans are in place to upgrade Kecskemét air base, a Hungarian military facility located to the southeast of the capital, Budapest. The base will likely house U.S.-made F-15 Eagle strike tactical fighter jets, according to the report, with an unknown number of A-10 Warthog close support aircraft and C-5 Galaxy transport planes. The F-15 is certified to carry B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs.

The U.S. has long had a strong presence in Europe, one beefed up after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine got underway in early 2022. NATO has spent the past two years bolstering its eastern flank close to Russia, with Sweden and Finland entering the alliance in a break from long-held neutrality policies. Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment via email.

The U.S. 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.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/us-military-expand-hungary-kecskemet-air-base-russia-nato-1969141