Austria
Albania
Belgium
Hungary
Denmark
Ireland
Spain
Cyprus
Luxemburg
Macedonia
Netherlands
Portugal
Slovakia
Finland
Croatia
Czechia
Czechoslovakia
Sweden
| HungaryRed Hungarian Air Corps (Voros Legjarocsapat)
March to November 1919
Wing's cherons |
|
Following Hungarian independence in November 1918, a small air arm was established
operating surviving aircraft from Hungarian factories and training schools. This air arm
became the Hungarian Red Air Force under the short lived Hungarian Soviet Republic.
Fuselage and Wings | 
Rudder | 
Later variant | 
Variant |
|
The Red Hungarian Air Corps (Voros Legjarocsapat) formed in March 1919, carried
three styles of national insignia. The first, consisting of (from the outermost) red-white-green
chevrons on the wings, was soon superseded by red stars on a white square on wings and
rudder. Later, a red star with a thin white outline was also used on some camouflaged
aircraft. Another variation existed on this insignia, used at least on a Fokker D.VII, in
which the white and red colours were reversed.
Example: Fokker D.VII
Kingdom Hungary
November 1919 to August 1938
Under the Versailles Treaty, Hungary was forbidden from owning military aircraft.
However, a secret air arm was gradually established under the cover of civilian flying
clubs.
Royal Hungarian Home Defence AF (Magyar Kiralyi Honved Legiero[MKHL])
August 1938 to March 1942
Wings | 
Tail-Rudder |
|
The first insignia adopted by the MKHL after its official unveiling in 1938 was a
red-white-green tricolour chevron with standard proportions (heigth:base=2:1), painted on
wings and tail with vertex in the direction of flight. (Decree of the Secretary of
Defence No.30.418/1938, August 23, 1938)
Example: Caproni Ca.101
March 1942 to May 1945
Wings and fuselage | 
Tail-Rudder | 
Stabilizers |
|
New natonal markings, which further conformed to the Axis line, were finally
approved by 12 March, 1942, as a white cross on a black square on wings and fuselage, and
a tricolour on the tail - with the red innermost - and on both horizontal tail planes
(Decree of the Secretary of Defence No. 142.415/1942).)
Example: Reggiane Re.2000 Falco/Heja I/II
Variant | 
Variant |
|
Later on in the war, the white crosses of the Hungarian national insignia were
usually overpainted in grey or left unpainted for a lower visibility contrast.
Example: Messerschmitt Me.210/Me.410 Hornisse
Rudder (simplified) |
|
From the winter of 1944 the tricolor on the tail was usually reduced or deleted
altogether. By that time the Hungarian colors were not painted any more on the horizontal
tail planes.
Example: Focke-Wulf Fw.190F/G
Variant | 
Variant |
|
Occasionally, the wing crosses - either white or overpainted in grey - were
applied only with a very thin black border, omiting the usual black background square.
Example: Messerschmitt Bf.109G Gustav
Hungarian Republic
1945 to 1947
After the end of WW2, all military flying was prohibited in Hungary until June 1947.
Air Force of the Hungarian People's Army (Hovedsegi Kozlony)
1948 to 1949
In 1948, the new Hungarian Peoples Army (Hovedsegi Kozlony), introduced new
national markings in the form of a red roundel with a white triangle and green centre
circle. The tail tricolour continued in use as before.
Wings and fuselage | 
Tail-Rudder | 
Stabilizers |
|
1949 to 1951
Wings and fuselage | 
Tail |
|
To better reflect Hungary's government political allegiances, and also to avoid
confusion with the Lebanese insignia, the national markings were changed in 1949 to a red
star on a roundel, of which the colours were (from outside) red, white, green and white.
This insignia was also used on the tail, thus dispensing with the tail tricolour flag.
1951 to 1990
Wings and fuselage | 
Tail |
|
The Hungarian markings were changed yet again in 1951, this time to avoid any
confusion with the Yugoslav national insignia. These white-outlined red stars with
inscribed white and green circles would survive unchanged until 1990.
Example: Ilushin Il-10 Beast
Example: MiG MiG-21/J-7 Fishbed/Mongol
Example: Yakovlev Yak-9 Frank
November 1956
Rebel's markings |
|
When Soviet forces invaded in November 1956, to suppress the national uprising,
sections of the Hungarian Air Force attacked Soviet forces and resisted Russian attempts
to occupy their bases. The resistance was shortlived and the air force was demobilised
soon after. According some sources the Hungarian helicopters (and probably planes)
carried these markings.
Hungarian Air Defense Group (Magyar Honvedseg Repulo Csapatai [MHRC])
1991 to Present
Wings | 
Tail |
|
The end of the communist regime led to the re-introduction of the traditional
chevron insignia, formally re-introduced as the Air Force marking in 1991. The chevron
is, as before, based upon a 2:1 ratio triangle. The width of the red and white stripes
are one sixth of the triangles base. The chevron is surrounded by a 1 cm white border.
Stencilling marks are often visible on this border when the marking is applied.
Example: MiG MiG-23 Flogger
Example: MiG MiG-29/MiG-33/MiG-35 Fulcrum
Example: Sukhoi Su-17/Su-20/Su-22 Fitter
Interim insignia (used in 1990) |
|
A red roundel with an inscribed white-green Hungarian chevron was applied on three
Mi-8S helicopters and a MiG-21PFM as an interim insignia during the papal legate visit
in the autumn of 1990.
Example: MiG MiG-21/J-7 Fishbed/Mongol
by Stephen Sender and Ivanov Grigory
Last update: 03/12/2005 |
