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Hungarian pilot survives JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet crash near Szolnok

A Hungarian military pilot successfully ejected from a JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet that crashed near the city of Szolnok on Monday. Prime Minister Péter Magyar confirmed the incident, noting that the pilot escaped uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed by fire upon impact. The jet was returning from a Quick Reaction Alert mission and was carrying a live combat load of air-to-air missiles and cannon ammunition. Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi reported that the pilot demonstrated significant composure by steering the burning aircraft toward military land to protect the civilian population of Szolnok. The pilot was subsequently transported to the Honvéd Hospital in Budapest, where his condition was reported as stable. General Zsolt Sándor announced that training flights for the Gripen fleet have been suspended until the investigation into the hydraulic and electronic failures is complete. The crash reduces Hungary's frontline fleet to 17 operational aircraft, a measurable loss for the nation's primary fixed-wing combat contribution to NATO's air-defense architecture.

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