NATIONAL SECURITY IS THE TOP PRIORITY
By Istvan Bocskai, translated by Tamas S. Kiss

Hungary started discussing the modernization of its military air defense and monitoring system in 1994-95 to replace outdated equipment it had inherited from the Warsaw Pact era. There are currently 130 ailing military radars deployed throughout Hungary. These we wish to replace with the latest 3D high technology that money can buy. The fact that Hungary needed to update became very evident during the Bosnian Crisis when "foreign" fighter jets violated Hungarian airspace on several occasions in such a way that the Hungarian military was helpless to respond.

There was no accurate information at the time of penetrating Hungarian air space. At the same time even if Hungary did learn of this "atrocity" the response was generally slow and difficult. The idea therefore was to have a modern high-tech system that could detect the foe from as far as possible and as accurately as possible. This way the response would be more effective.

To be precise there is no point in having a bomb dropped if we can penetrate and eliminate such an attack. The urgent need forced politicians and decision makers to debate the issue. In 1995 parliament passed a decree that the Defense Force needs a new military air space monitoring radar system. Nevertheless the state's main concern from the very beginning was the cost for such a modern system.

To keep up to date on the Bosnian crisis Hungary was compelled to spend about Ft3 billion on mobile radar stations, which it moved on the southern borders to cover the white spots.

However, this problem was answered when Hungary joined NATO on March 16, 1999 (following a referendum in Nov 1997).

NATO in 1999 required Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic to carry out an investment program known as the NATO Security Investment Program where a lump sum to the tune of Ft23 billion would be allocated to set up three integrated military air defense systems (alias radar stations) in Hungary, six in Poland and three in the Czech Republic. NATO so as to avoid any biased purchases carried out the public procurement and the British-Italian group BAe-Marconi was chosen to supply the radar systems.

The radiation emitted by this system is about 30% of the capacity emitted by the general GSM mobile base towers with which Hungary is virtually 100% covered. The automatic articulating heads do not have a permanent pulsation but instead have reduced pulses of the rotating radon globe that can be adjusted as required. These are truly artificially intelligent and computerized systems. Hungary merely needs three state-of-the-art radar stations to replace the existing 130 Russian made (P-17 and P-37) radar stations nationwide. While the BAe-Marconi radar each emits waves with 70-80kW power, the Russian-made ones each emit waves with 2-3MW power.

The idea was to have a modern system that could ideally detect the Hungarian air space even from "zero" meter altitude. This may seem absurd, but the fact that 9/11 took place showed clearly that the US had no such detecting military system as civil aviation radar was only able to detect at 3,000 meters altitude and above, leaving airspace beneath that altitude exposed and undetected.

This enabled terrorists to fly the plane undetected and to crash them into the skyscrapers before the US Air Force could respond. Even the Pentagon was hit. There was no problem with the radars deployed on the western coastline, but naturally the US did not believe it important to monitor its own inland airspace, as they were not prepared for an attack from within. Learning from the mistake, the Pentagon is now also investing heavy into a modern inland airspace monitoring radar system.

With EU accession Hungary also needs the new radar system to fully control its airspace and more effectively combat arms, drugs and human smuggling, which abuses the low altitude airspace. Hungary carried out detailed research based on mathematical and geophysical studies. It was determined that in order to fully cover the nation's airspace the best solution would be to have three main radar stations: one in northern Hungary (near Bankut in the Bukk mountains), one in southern Hungary (this is on the Zengo mountain) and one near the town of Bekescsaba.

The perfect triangle could fully cover Hungarian airspace without having any white spots. The proposal to set up a radar station on the Zengo peak was also reviewed by international and Hungarian experts, not to mention NATO.

Actually, there are three locations in the Mecsek mountain range, Zengo, the Harmashegy and the Tuleshegy. But only Zengo ensures the required 180 degrees white spot-free penetration of the given zone without truly disturbing the natural environment. Zengo is located in a nature-protected environment, but I must stress that - unlike Hungarian and foreign news reports - it is not located in a national park. To be able to provide the same requirements as Zengo, Harmashegy would require a 90-story high base tower while Tuleshegy would require a 21-story base tower. Both of these base towers would require a massive foundation, demanding a greater impact on the environment of the natural flora.

Therefore the problem is not a simple one to solve. Having the base tower for the radar on Zengo is the optimal solution both geo-physically and environmentally.

Strangely enough, the Greens did not raise their voices on the issue when the state announced in 1996 that it was acquiring licenses for the radar station as part of the solution for national defense. First there was the issue that too many trees would be cut out for such a base station.
In actual fact the plans call for the cutting down of 301 trees along the road to make it possible to access the base station. This implies that one tree need be removed every 20 meters along a three-kilometer strip to build the shortest possible road to the top of the radar station. These trees would naturally be de-felled any way with the forestry being carried out on the mount. The station base antenna near the peak with a radon globe on a 44-meter antenna would only require a 20 x 20 meter secure base.

The supplementary support, storage, machinery and other facilities would be established and set up at a much lower altitude in the valley at an existing military shooting range and not threaten the cherished fauna or flora of the Zengo mount. We have heard that the Zengo is the only place where the Banat peony flower (Paeonia officinalis L, subspecies banatica) is an indigenous species.

There are such flowers on Zengo, but according to biologists the same flower can be found on other mountains and in the valley of the same area. The flowers are under protection but with a radar station above them they will receive the best protection they will ever get. All of a sudden in 2003 and 2004 Zengo become a politically debated issue under the foliage cover of the Greens.

The Zengo issue suddenly became a crucial issue after the municipal elections in 2003. Let's not forget that since the idea was hatched all governments, without exception, had agreed to implement the national security system for protecting Hungary's airspace. Even the Chief Prosecutor's Office and the Constitution Court agreed on the reasons given by the state.

I personally held a civil forum for the residents living in and around the Pecsvarad area. Expecting a large group to attend I was disappointment by the very poor turnout.

However, there have been continuous civil forums on the issue throughout 2002 and 2003. Topics under the microscope at these forums included health and environmental discussions that were led by prominent professors, researchers, military and civilian health experts, including representatives from the military, National Radiation Biology Institute. Naturally there have always been sceptics about the project. In 1997-98 when the majority learned of the idea they were not happy. However, the municipalities did understand the strategic importance of Zengo and also managed to come to a compromise with their local populations. NATO officials even had the mayors visit the proposed site and they understood that their communities were not under threat from such a project.

In summary, Hungary needs to defend 100% of its airspace and with the research and results the three main locations are required to set up the base stations with the least damage to the environment. There are alternatives for Zengo, but at a much greater cost and if the choice is national safety and security over the fate of trees and flowers then national safety is the priority.

Editor’s note:

While two weeks ago Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said government had no intention to set up the radar station on Zengo. However no plans exist for an alternative location either. Because of the growing opposition from green activists and locals, government has decided the put the project on hold. Nevertheless NATO just recently indicated that it still prefers Zengo for the radar site. NATO has also told government that it would not allocate funding for any other location, therefore if Hungary opted for another site it would have to take at least HUF 20 billion from tax-payers’ pockets. Just recently also Gyurcsany revealed that the air defense of Hungary is weak, particularly in the south. In February this year Gyula Vari, former Hungarian Air Force pilot, carried out a test flight in a civilian small aircraft. He flew undetected from the Serbian border, over the Paks nuclear power station and to Dunaujvaros (Central Hungary). Gyurcsany said that Hungary is very much in need of radar and that he could not rule out that such a facility would not be built on the Zengo.