Hungary Scrambles Fighter Jets After Unauthorized Cessna Flight Towards Nuclear Plant
On August 29, Hungary deployed two Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets in response to an unauthorized flight of a stolen Cessna 172 aircraft. The Cessna, taken from Kalocsa airfield by an intoxicated 24-year-old man, was detected flying towards the Paks nuclear power plant, located approximately 60 miles south of Budapest. The Paks facility is surrounded by permanently prohibited airspace, with civil aircraft generally barred from a 1.9-mile radius. Hungarian military radar identified the aircraft after takeoff, prompting the quick reaction alert. Before the Gripen jets could intercept, the Cessna made a forced landing near Gerjen, a village close to Paks, sustaining damage to its landing gear. The pilot was subsequently detained by police, who initiated proceedings for unauthorized vehicle taking and other suspected offenses. This incident marks the second alert involving Hungarian Gripens in two days, following another scramble on August 28 for a French-registered Piper PA-28 that entered Hungarian airspace ... 
