Hungarian DefMin: Planned ammunition plant key to ‘innovative, high-tech’ military

The Hungarian government is building a “brave, innovative and high-tech military”, the defence minister said on Thursday, at the groundbreaking ceremony of an ammunition factory in Várpalota, on Thursday.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said the military should be a “self-supporting, independent system”, and such projects as the new plant were instrumental in its development.

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The new plant will supply ammunition for weapons also produced in Hungary, thus “filling a great gap in domestic and European domestic capabilities”, he said.

The ceremony marks the beginning of the construction of a defence industry park with nearly 200 new jobs. The new plant will produce ammunition for Lynx tanks, as well as Leopard 2A7HU and PzH 2000 HU Howitzers from 2024 on, the minister said.

The minister said the Rheinmetall Group would in future supply Hungary with an “arsenal” to equip infantry fighting vehicles and tanks, while the defence industry park’s four square kilometres would incorporate five facilities producing a wide range of ammunitions and explosives for the Hungarian military. He added that large-scale developments in terms of the combat capabilities of the military would not only contribute to the country’s security but would also increase NATO’s stability.

Rheinmetall AG chief Armin Papperger said the new plant, built with a budget of 250-300 million euros, would significantly increase Hungary’s role in ensuring security for the region.

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Source: MTI