The Slovak Armed Forces are preparing a specialty also on the ground
This year's SIAF International Aviation Days also commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Slovak Republic and the 30th anniversary of the Slovak Armed Forces. The Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic, as the main programme partner of the whole event, is preparing, besides a rich aviation programme, also demonstrations on the ground.
"We have already confirmed a good turnout with some very attractive aircraft," says Ivan Hůlek, Executive Director of MLD SIAF in the AIRSHOW Slovakia podcast. On the website www.siaf.sk you will find the complete first part of the confirmed participants published in the Aircraft section. The list includes Gripen from the Czech Republic and Hungary, Slovak Blackhawk or Spartan, Eurofighter Typhoon from Germany and Italy, as well as F-16 from the Netherlands and others.
"I am glad that the Croatian group - Wings of Storm - will also come. I am also excited that after all these years of having the Airbus A400M from France coming to us, we will now see this aircraft in a dynamic demonstration," added Hubert Štoksa, CEO of MLD SIAF and Director of SLLA.
Who decides on the participants at SIAF?
The participant planning system works on the basis of an annual plan. The organisers send out invitations before the end of the year. However, whether the invited countries accept them depends on various factors such as availability of equipment, geopolitical situation, operational deployment or workload. The Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic, through the Commander of the Slovak Air Force, has sent invitations to 24 countries, 11 of which have so far confirmed their participation.
"We are still negotiating with Poland, and we are still waiting for statements from Sweden, England, Romania and the USA," Hubert Štoksa adds. It is not unusual that new participants can be added even a few days before the event. "I firmly believe that we will be able to confirm something as special as the F-22 Raptor last year," suggests Ivan Hůlek, with the reminder that you can't invite equipment that doesn't fly.
When the organisers receive a positive response to the participation of one of the invited countries, it's the turn of sending questionnaires, based on which the SIAF team knows what it still has to arrange. And also on the basis of the information gathered in this way, the flight programme can then be gradually composed, but it changes dynamically up to a given day. Therefore, fans can expect to see its exact form only a few days before SIAF 2023.
Aviation days are not just for the most die-hard aircraft fans. They are for everyone. That is why there is always room for a rich accompanying programme. Dynamic demonstrations of the ground forces of the Slovak Army should not be missed now. We could also see the latest tank addition - Leopard 2A, which we hinted at in the latest part of the AIRSHOW Slovakia podcast. "We are also preparing a dynamic polygon for ground equipment demonstrations, which is also very attractive to me," Hubert Štoksa makes no secret of it.
The SIAF 2023 programme starts at 11:00. The airport gates open at 9:00. We will also present more new information and interesting facts in the next episodes of the AIRSHOW Slovakia podcast. Don't forget to follow the website www.siaf.sk, FB International SIAF Aviation Days or Instagram profile, where all important information will be added gradually.