Hungarian Defence Minister: Hungary to become self-sufficient in production of 30mm shells

Hungary will be self-sufficient from now on in the production of 30mm medium-calibre shells, Hungarian Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said at the official inauguration of Rheinmetall’s ammunition plant in Várpalota, in western Hungary, on Monday.

Hungarian Defence Minister talks bout self-sufficiency

Hungarian Defence Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said few ammunition plants in Europe matched the one in Várpalota in quality, adding that the plant will also make ammunition for the armoured infantry fighting vehicles manufactured in Zalaegerszeg.

The plant in Várpalota will guarantee the quality of Hungary’s defence industry, as well as the safety of those living in the area, while also creating a lot of new jobs, the minister said. Some 50 people will be working at the factory, but headcount will increase to several hundred as production ramps up, he added.

The plant will be expanded with further elements over the coming months and years, and will also manufacture 155mm calibre artillery shells in addition to 120mm tank ammunition, he said.

The Hungarian Defence Minister said the Russia-Ukraine war had demonstrated that “nothing is as important as having everything needed for battle at our disposal.”

“Cutting-edge technology is indispensable, but not enough to fight successfully, but if there’s ammunition, there’s also success,” the minister said.

He said Europe had recognised that it could not remain idle, but had to completely rebuild its defence industry capacities, and specifically ammunition production. The supply of ammunition to Ukraine by European countries, he added, had significantly reduced their strategic munitions reserves, and the European defence industry could barely keep up with the increased demand.

Hungarian Defence Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary was also ahead of “its European Union friends and allies”, arguing that the plans for the Várpalota plant had been completed well before the start of the war and construction had gotten under way quickly. This, he added, had resulted in the emergence of a defence industry in Hungary in the form of factories employing “a Hungarian workforce with high-tech knowledge” which greatly reduced the country’s military dependence.

Armin Papperger, Rheinmetall’s chairman and chief executive, said the company was planning to export not just medium calibre ammunition, but also calibres up to 155mm globally. He said the Várpalota plant is capable of producing more than 240,000 rounds of tank ammunition a year.

He said the 30mm calibre ammunition plant was a 300 million euro investment, but Rheinmetall is investing a total of half a billion euros in Várpalota through a German-Hungarian joint venture, as it will have to fulfill a 54 billion euro order stock.

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