The last cycle saw the most spectacular development of the Hungarian Defence Forces

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Lynx Simulation Centre, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that “the earlier cycles played a very important role in paving the way for our achievement today, but we are the ones who have the opportunity and glory of having the most items of equipment delivered, and they are continuously building a capability.”

The minister said that the assets procured within the framework of the military development program have completely replaced those Soviet items of equipment that were in bad condition earlier anyway and “bargained away by our predecessors for the most part”. Among these, he mentioned helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, tanks, artillery pieces and combat vehicles.

He added that the change in the personnel and the development of infrastructure have been at least as important as this.

“A training centre is currently under construction in Hódmezővásárhely for the soldiers serving on armored Lynx infantry fighting vehicles. The Hungarian Defence Forces are the first in the world to commission these combat vehicles, which are products of German Rheinmetall and are state-of-the-art in their category” – said the minister, adding that meanwhile, the Italian and the Romanian armed forces have also decided to procure this asset.

Hungary is leading the way in entering the Lynx into service, in using it and in generating a capability for this equipment, which naturally requires soldiers. This was served by the designated recruitment program “Man to the Steel!”, which has been very successfully implemented in Hódmezővásárhely, and the simulation center to be established serves the same goal, said the politician.

According to plans, the simulation centre, which will have been completed by the end of this year or early 2027, will make it possible to train combat vehicle drivers, gunners and commanders and have the soldiers practice cooperation “under laboratory conditions”, without “wearing down the equipment” in real-world use, said Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky.

The minister also added that beyond its military value, the collaboration with Rheinmetall has great economic significance, too, as the German company is an important investor in Hungary. The Lynx combat vehicles – which are continuously arriving to Hódmezővásárhely – are manufactured in the Zalaegerszeg factory of Rheimetall Hungary Ltd.

Lieutenant General Ferenc Kajári, Deputy Chief, HDF Defence Staff noted that one of the most important goals of the military development program launched in 2016 was to build the heavy infantry brigade capability of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The items of military equipment were continuously delivered in the last few years, when their commissioning and the generation of new capabilities began.

The HDF 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade is the first to enter the KF41 Lynx combat vehicles into service, which provides a solid basis for generating a combat-ready capability. This requires excellently trained personnel who understand and like the technology, as well as the infrastructure to service it, said the lieutenant general.

The combat vehicles manufactured in Hungary will be delivered in the near future to the 1st grenadier battalion to make its TOE complete. During the last two years or so, the soldiers serving with the brigade were preparing for the operation of the new combat vehicles, participated in developing new tactics, techniques and procedures, carried out force-level training and implemented the validation and certification exercise – said Ferenc Kajári.

Recently, a new storage site has been constructed in Hódmezővásárhely, the workshop and the servicing installations meet all needs, said the lieutenant general.

Ferenc Kajári emphasized that there is a need for personnel who know the military equipment and weapon systems down to the last detail and are ready to immediately react to unforeseeable contingencies. During the training, modern simulation systems play an increasing role, he added.

Colonel István Hattyár, Commander, HDF 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade said that the nominated reservists of the Hungarian Defence Forces now also have the opportunity to receive training on the Lynx infantry fighting vehicles.