New Momentum in Hungarian–Turkish Cooperation

Text: Bettina Sin | Photo: Zsuzsa Szűcs-Horváth, Tünde Rácz (cover photo) | 14:42 September 18, 2026

A professional delegation from the HDF Joint Operations Command’s Land Forces and a delegation from the Turkish General Staff held discussions on opportunities for joint international training exercises. The Hungarian delegation was headed by Brigadier General Zsolt Molnár, Deputy Commander (Land Forces) at the HDF Joint Operations Command, while the Turkish side was represented by Brigadier General Kamil Tumba, Head of Defence Planning and Project Management at the Turkish Land Forces Command.

The visit provided an opportunity for the two nations to build on their existing cooperation and extend knowledge-sharing to new areas, primarily in the areas of drone technology, engineer support and chemical defence. The Turkish delegation was briefed on the HDF’s training system, with particular emphasis on the HDF NCO Academy’s C-IED (Counter-Improvised Explosive Device) training. Another key topic of the discussions was the use of the aforementioned drones. In the Turkish delegation’s view, drones are indispensable equipment in modern warfare, therefore their use must be mastered by as many soldiers as possible. The parties also discussed mutual training opportunities in this regard.

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The Turkish delegates then visited the Central Training and Shooting Range, where they were briefed on the core duties of the HDF 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade by Colonel István Hattyár, commander of the brigade. The Lynx infantry fighting vehicle took centre stage during the subsequent static and dynamic displays. The parties also reviewed equipment from the Turkish defence industry currently in service with the HDF (such as the Gidrán) and exchanged views on their operational experience with these systems. The two-day professional program concluded with a meeting at staff level, during which the two NATO member states identified the areas where they could support each other’s training.