Hungary started the biggest armament for Hungarian Defence Forces – Photos & Video
Eight cargo aeroplanes, thirty-six helicopters, forty-four modern combat cars and twenty-four mobile cannons are the newest equipment of the Hungarian Defence Forces which refresh their outdated and almost twenty-five years old technology which was used for fifty years.
Index reported that in 2020, the most modern Leopard 2 combats will arrive for the Defence Forces. With these new vehicles, Hungary will be the only country in the region with the most modern ones. The project – named after Miklós ZrÃnyi – which develops the Defence Forces’ installations costs approximately 3,500 billion HUF (11 million EUR).
In the middle of the 2000s, the Hungarian Defence Forces only had fifty old T-72 combats, and half of them could not be used. Although the military bought several new equipment and vehicles, it did not satisfy the needs of the Defence Forces.
Some Hungarian soldiers on military missions in Afghanistan and the Balcanic region even had to buy their own equipment from their money.
It was also a difficult task for the military to build the fence on the southern border of Hungary. This time, PM Orbán emphasised several times that the missing equipment would soon be replaced and new ones would be bought. The prime minister added that these developments are urgent because of the growing problem of migration and terrorism in Europe and in the continent.
The decision about the ZrÃnyi project was born in 2016, and it is eager to find the solution for making up for the twenty-five years of outdating.
The Hungarian Defence Forces negotiated with the German Krauss-Maffei Industries and agreed on buying forty-four new vehicles, but the industry insisted on delivering these combats in 2020 as they are working on another project with Qatar at the moment. These vehicles with the most modern technology and equipment will mean fifty years of technological development for the military.
The Leopard 2 model is one of the most modern cannons in the world, and only Hungary will have the newest prototype. One Leopard 2 vehicle costs 2.5 billion HUF (7 million EUR).
The outdated cannons of the military have been sold and have the oldest prototypes which need ten soldiers to control. The German industry will also deliver twenty-four mobile cannons as well, with a 56-kilometre range.
The Defence Forces bought eight cargo aeroplanes and thirty-six new helicopters. These new vehicles will be able to carry heavy cargo, equipment and twenty-eight soldiers as well.
Moreover, Hungary will start to produce their own guns in Kiskunfélegyháza (Bács-Kiskun County) with the contribution of the Czech Ceská Zbrojovka Export Industries. The two countries signed a 100 million EUR contract already.
Besides the newest technology, it is also questionable whether the Hungarian Military Forces have enough soldiers. Currently, there are 26,753 registered soldiers, but until 2026, the government would like to increase this number to 37,000.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpjLhqSaddQ
Featured image: www.facebook.com/magyarhonvedseg
Source: www.index.hu
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1 Comment
Hungary has neglected its military for 30 years. Consequently the Hungarian armed forces are one of the weakest in Europe and NATO. With authorized manpower of 29,700 (actual manpower about 26,500) the Hungarian military is totally incapable of defending the Country. This military is so small and weak that it cannot even hold off an aggressor for 48-72 hours for NATO help to arrive. A significant number of the current personnel are old, out of shape males. The percentage (19%) of female troops is one of the highest of any military in the world. To make matters worse, there are no real well trained, well equipped reserves. Actual number of personnel available for direct ground combat is only about 6,000-8,000 and about 10%-15% of these are out of the Country in NATO peace keeping missions. There is an almost complete lack of modern armor. Currently Hungary only has about 30 old T-72 tanks on active service with another 50 in storage. Much smaller and less wealthy countries (Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia, etc.,) have hundreds more tanks than Hungary. Most of their other weapons and equipment date back to the old Warsaw Pact and they are so old that these weapons and equipment cannot even be sold. The Air Force only has 11-12 modern fixed wing combat planes and it is completely stretched to provide air defense for the Country while at the same time providing same to the Baltic States and Slovenia. Recent purchases of transport aircraft, helicopters, tanks and self propelled artillery are just a tiny step in the right direction and much of this new equipment will not be available until 2020-2024. A military is like an insurance policy. One never knows when it will be needed but when the need will arise for Hungary they will regret the fact that they have failed to adequately spend on their national defense.