Next-generation combat vehicles to be manufactured in Hungary − VIDEO

Hungary signed an agreement with Rheinmetall, Europe’s leading provider of army equipment, to establish a joint venture and production facility to manufacture the most modern Lynx infantry fighting vehicle.

As Hungary’s Secretariat of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology and the Commissioner for Defence Development announced, Hungary has started one of its most significant programs to help develop and modernise the country’s military capabilities. The agreement – that is worth over two billion euros – was signed on the 17th of August in Unterlüss, Germany, Infostart reported. As part of the cooperation,

Rheinmetall, the European defence industry company and the Hungarian government will establish a joint venture and build a production plant in Hungary which will manufacture the state-of-the-art Lynx infantry combat vehicles.

Hungary is the first NATO and EU member state who decided to order the newly developed combat vehicle of the Düsseldorf-based company. Currently, the Lynx is only an innovative prototype. Still, its capabilities are already known, and countries like the U.S., Australia and the Czech Republic are among the potential future buyers of the vehicle.

The deal constitutes a central part of the Hungarian military and defence force development program. This program aims to make the Hungarian military a world-class force and one that contributes to addressing the security challenges in the Euro-Atlantic region. In a joint statement, László Palkovics, the Minister of Innovation and Technology and Gáspár Maróth, the Commissioner for Defence Development emphasised that Hungary is aiming to restore the heavy weaponry of its ground forces as part of its commitments to NATO.