Hungary’s armed forces are expanded with a unique, new capability

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that the procurement of the SOC-R boats means the appearance of a “long-awaited, very important capability in the Hungarian Defence Forces, which are continuously developing on land, on water and in the air as well”. The minister emphasized that there is a “silent revolution unfolding” behind the walls of barracks, as the Hungarian Defence Forces are currently undergoing a very large-scale transformation, so they are becoming more and more equipped and trained. He added that within the framework of this transformation, all equipment types are changing and “being or have already been replaced with modern, NATO-compatible, to a large extent high-tech equipment with digital capabilities”.

By way of example, the minister mentioned the modern helicopter fleet and the air defence assets, the new Lynx infantry fighting vehicles, artillery pieces and tanks, and noted that the ongoing recruitment events as well as the training programs preparing for the use of new capabilities are continuous and successful. He stated that “today, another mosaic tile of the armed forces and capability development program is put in place”.

He went on saying that the delivery of these SOC-R boats to the Hungarian Special Operations Command had been facilitated by the American comrades’ cooperation and assistance. “These boats are among the best ones, and our Hungarian special Operations Forces (SOF) operators are going to use them following a training program to be conducted together with the US forces” – explained the minister.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky pointed out that not only the political but also the military-to-military relations are excellent between the United States and Hungary. He also mentioned that Hungary is at the forefront of increasing military power, as 2026 will be the fourth consecutive year when its defence budget will exceed the 2% of GDP NATO target. He underlined that Hungary is proud to meet this commitment.

Deputy Chief of HDF Defence Staff Lieutenant General Ferenc Kajári said that our country is the land of rivers, and so this riverine operational capability is indispensable for the Hungarian Defence Forces. In his words, the procurement of the SOC-R boats at once symbolizes the power of the transatlantic Alliance and Hungarian purposefulness: the goal is that “we provide our troops with modern capabilities with real combat effectiveness on land, on water and in the air”. He declared that these boats are not merely military equipment but also symbols.

“They are symbols of the defence of our Alliance and shared values as well as the brotherhood between the two nations’ troops” – he explained. Ferenc Kajári said that the SOC-R boats are capable of the insertion and extraction of Special Operations Task Units (SOTUs) in waterborne environments, even under fire. Furthermore, they are capable of providing close fire support, conducting reconnaissance and intelligence missions, delivering general-purpose and medical supplies as well as evacuating casualties.