Hungarian Defence Forces

Hungarian government: Hungary committed NATO member

Hungary Defence Forces NATO ministry

Hungary as a committed member of NATO will continue to develop its armed forces, the defence minister said after a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky told MTI that an increasing number of member states aimed to meet the NATO requirement of spending at least 2 percent of their GDP on defence. “Hungary has fulfilled that requirement since 2023, for which the country has received NATO’s recognition,” he said, adding that it also showed the Hungarian government’s commitment to ensuring security for the Hungarian people and fulfilling NATO’s requirements.

“Toady’s meeting highlighted again the need for NATO member states to increase spending on their own security,” Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.

He noted that the meeting’s main focus was to review and prepare defence issues for a meeting of heads of state and government to be held in Washington, DC, in July to mark the 75th anniversary of NATO. These include finalising NATO’s plan on enhancing the alliance’s collective defence force, and its effectiveness will feature high on the July meeting’s agenda, the minister said.

The need to expand defence industry capacities was also highlighted at Thursday’s meeting, the minister said, adding that Hungary was “at the forefront in this regard since the country already began building its own defence industry base before the war broke out in Ukraine”.

“We must continue modernising the Hungarian Armed Forces, and as a member on NATO’s eastern flank we must take a significant share in strengthening the alliance’s defence capabilities,” the minister added.

He called it a priority for Hungary to further strengthen NATO’s multinational division headquarters in Szekesfehervar, in central Hungary, in partnership with Croatia and Slovakia.

The NATO-Ukraine Council also held a meeting on Thursday at which the Ukrainian defence minister gave an outline of the situation in his country, while NATO members reviewed support provided to Ukraine so far, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said, adding that Hungary’s position was unchanged in that it would not supply weapons to Ukraine and only a prompt ceasefire and peace negotiations could end the war.

Read also:

  • Hungary will accept Sweden’s NATO bid next week? – Read more HERE
  • Hungarian government does not see Russia as a security threat to any NATO member

PHOTOS: Here is how the Hungarian Air Force’s magnificent transport aircraft looks

Hungarian Air Force (Copy)

The first C-390 Millennium of the Hungarian Air Force has successfully completed its maiden flight this week in Gavião Peixoto, in Brazil.

According to embraer.com, the first C-390 Millennium of the Hungarian Air Force has successfully completed its maiden flight yesterday in Gavião Peixoto. Embraer Defense & Security team flew the aircraft for approximately 4 hours, carrying out a complete assessment of the aircraft, which will now undergo a test campaign ahead of the entry into service with the Hungarian Air Force.

“This maiden flight is a major milestone for the Hungarian C-390 program. The C-390 Millennium is receiving international recognition on the back of its remarkable operational performance and capabilities, and Embraer is ramping up production to address increasing market demand. It is an honor to work with the Hungarian Defence Forces in strengthening their capabilities with the best military airlift solution available. We are keen in further deepening this partnership with the Hungarian Defence Forces, and supporting them well into the future,” said Bosco da Costa Junior, President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security.

In November 2020, the Hungarian government signed a contract with Embraer to acquire two C-390s. The Hungarian Defence Forces’ aircraft will be the first in the world to have an Intensive Care Unit in its configuration, an essential resource for carrying out humanitarian missions.

Hungary is the third country to have chosen the C-390, after Brazil and Portugal. The Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, and South Korea have also selected the multi-mission aircraft. The C-390 is redefining military air transport and challenging the logic behind current and future generation platforms, offering multi-mission capability, reliability, and interoperability built by design.

The C-390 can carry more payload (26 tons) compared to other medium-sized military transport aircraft and flies faster (470 knots) and farther, being able to carry out a wide range of missions, such as transporting and launching cargo and troops, aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue, firefighting and humanitarian missions, even operating on unpaved runways, on surfaces such as compacted earth and gravel. The aircraft configured for aerial refueling, with the designation KC-390, has already proven its capacity both as a tanker and as a receiver, in this case receiving fuel from another KC-390 using pods installed under the wings.

Since entering service with the Brazilian Air Force in 2019, and more recently with the Portuguese Air Force in 2023, the C-390 has proven its capacity, reliability and performance. The current fleet of aircraft in operation has accumulated more than 11,500 flight hours, with operational availability of around 80% and mission completion rates above 99%, demonstrating exceptional productivity in the category.

Read also:

  • Impressive success: Emirates flights to display film of Hungarian filmmaker – Read more HERE

Here are some photos of the new aircraft:

Hungarian major general takes over EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Hungarian major general takes over EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Major General László Sticz of the Hungarian general staff took command of European Union’s EUFOR Althea mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina in an official ceremony in Sarajevo on Wednesday.

President Katalin Novák addressed the Hungarian troops serving in the mission after the ceremony, calling on them to be role models and being a soldier was synonymous with “decency, honour and patriotism”.

She said the ongoing wars had highlighted the importance of “being able to defend ourselves as a country, a nation and in an alliance”. She underscored the importance of military upgrades, bolstering defence capabilities and bolstering the prestige of the Hungarian Armed Forces.

Novák said the Althea mission having a Hungarian commander was a matter of great pride for Hungary.

Hungary, she said, was “surrounded by powder kegs”, noting the ongoing war in Ukraine and the Yugoslav Wars in the past.

The president noted that the defence ministry’s recruitment campaign was also aimed at bolstering the Armed Forces by encouraging more and more people to join the military either as volunteers or reservists.

Read also:

  • EU’s Bosnia-Herzegovina operation to be led by Hungarian commander – Read more HERE
  • Hungary to spend a record percentage of GDP on arms? – Read more HERE

Althea contributes a lot to Hungarians’s security

Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky told the media that the importance of the Althea mission lay in the fact that it contributed directly to the security of the Hungarian people.

Hungary’s security, he added, was also dependent on the stability of the Western Balkan countries.

“It is clear that in the era of dangers, in addition to the war to the east, we must also keep an eye on illegal migration routes,” he said, adding the Althea mission guaranteed peace and stability in the Western Balkans after the Yugoslav Wars.

Sticz told the media that the tasks of the mission have to be coordinated with the state and military leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina. EUFOR’s mission, he added, was to support the work of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s authorities with all means and military power.

Hungary to spend a record percentage of GDP on arms?

Turkish combat vehicle Gidrán

Amidst escalating conflicts, the Hungarian government has elevated the development of the Hungarian Defence Forces to a top priority. Prime Minister Orbán has stressed repeatedly that the goal is to have a strong, powerful, deterrent force capable of ensuring peace. However, the question remains: how does Hungary’s strength compare to other nations?

Sourcing Arms from Germany

G7 has reported that in the previous year, Hungary emerged as the third-largest purchaser of arms from the German defence industry, after Ukraine and Norway. Though the specific figures remain unconfirmed, it is estimated that Hungary imported German weapons amounting to one billion euros. Rheinmetall, a key German strategic partner and a major beneficiary of the heightened European arms demand, inaugurated a facility in Zalaegerszeg to manufacture Lynx armoured combat vehicles. In addition, Rheinmetall is actively engaged in the advancement of the next-generation KF51 Panther tanks. The company is also overseeing the production of Gidrán armoured vehicles in Kaposvár under a Turkish license, establishing a radar production plant in Nyírtelek, and constructing an ammunition factory in Várpalota. Complementing these endeavours, Hungarian companies are contributing to the arms industry by producing small arms in Kiskunfélegyháza and collaborating with Airbus in Gyula to manufacture helicopter parts.

This year’s budget

The draft budget for this year sees a nearly 29 percent increase in defence spending, rising from HUF 1,395 billion (EUR 3.59 billion) to HUF 1,796 billion (EUR 4.63). The Defence Fund, established in 2022 and primarily funded by bank and insurance taxes to cover additional expenditures like equipment purchases, will experience a 55 percent allocation boost to 1,309 billion forints. According to the budget, this increase could push defence spending to 2.1 percent of GDP in 2024, surpassing the NATO criterion of 2 percent and setting a record percentage of GDP spent on arms.

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How powerful is Hungary in the region?

However, the Prime Minister’s aspirations for a leading role in the region and a “Central European middle power” status may be somewhat exaggerated. In recent years, all major regional countries have embarked on rapid military modernisation, and Hungary’s sharp increase in military expenditures, even when considered as a percentage of GDP, still falls somewhat short of the regional average. Nevertheless, this should not pose an issue as long as Hungary refrains from arming against its neighbours but collaborates with them.

In the region, Poland, with its rapidly developing and modernised force, has long surpassed Hungary. Moreover, Czechia plans to spend more than 2 percent of its GDP on arms this year. While Romania’s defence spending is on a robust upward trajectory, Hungary remains ahead of Serbia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia in terms of order volumes, holding a middle position in line with its population and economic size.

Chief of staff briefs Hungarian President on defence, security matters – PHOTOS

Chief of staff briefs Hungarian President on defence, security matters

Gábor Böröndi, the chief of staff of the Hungarian Armed Forces, briefed President Katalin Novák on the state of the military and matters concerning Hungary’s security, at the Gyula Castle in the south-eastern Hungarian town on Wednesday.

Speaking to the media before his meeting with the president, Böröndi said he was to brief Novák, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, on the experiences gained in last November’s Adaptive Hussars 23 NATO military exercise.

In response to a question, he said the exercise had been conducted based on Hungary’s National Armed Defence Plan. Cooperation between the army and county public administration bodies had been smooth, but the Armed Forces has amendment proposals regarding economic services, he said.

Böröndi also briefed the president on the army’s recruitment scheme in Hódmezővásárhely, in southern Hungary. He said the army also had legislative proposals concerning the activation or the system of reservists.

Read also:

  • Success: thousands of recruits enter Hungarian army in 2023 – Read more HERE
  • The Hungarian military booms, strengthened greatly in the last year

President Novák, who is on a multi-day visit to Bekes County, on Wednesday afternoon visited the birth house of Ferenc Erkel, the composer of the Hungarian national anthem, where she participated in a special music class with soprano Erika Miklosa and music historian Andras Batta, CEO of the House of Music in Budapest.

She then paid a visit to the plant of dairy company Szarvasi Mozzarella in Örménykút.

The recent visit forms part of the president’s programme of visiting every county to learn first-hand about local affairs.

PHOTOS: Leopard tanks flood Hungary

leopard tanks

A new batch of Leopard 2A7 battle tanks arrived at the army base at Tata, in northern Hungary, on Wednesday morning, the defence minister said, adding that the tanks “will serve the protection of the Hungarian people”.

“Hungary’s military reform is going ahead at full speed with top-notch vehicles continuing to arrive,” Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said on Facebook.

According to the military portal honvedelem.hu, three Leopard 2A7HU tanks were delivered on Wednesday to Tata in addition to the five already put in service at the base there. Hungary has procured altogether 44 Leopard tanks to be delivered by 2028.

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Hungarian soldiers’ wages to increase further in 2024

Hungarian Defence Forces Military Army NATO

Hungarian soldiers’ wages will increase further in 2024, the minister of defence said on Thursday.

The ministry cited Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky as saying that wages are increasing by an average 11 percent from January 2024 but it may vary depending on the category of staff.

The government decided in 2022 to increase wages for soldiers in two steps: from September 2022 and from January 2024, he said.

The tasks of the Hungarian Army increased considerably last year, with the Russia-Ukraine and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, and the migratory wave affecting Europe making it necessary to heighten the state of alert, he added.

“These factors, and the Hungarian Army’s international roles make it necessary to further enhance the appreciation of soldiers,” he said.

The first phase of increase was an average of 26.4 percent in September 2022.

Voluntary reserve soldiers and officer candidates are also eligible for the current increase of average 11 percent, the statement added.

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Major General: Hungarian soldiers proved their skills

NATO peacekeepers Ukraine Orbán

Hungarian soldiers have proved their skills in the command of NATO missions, the new commander of the EU’s EUFOR ALTHEA mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina told public broadcaster M1 on Wednesday.

Major General László Sticz, who took over the post on 1 January, told M1 that NATO’s KFOR mission had a Hungarian commander in 2021. “Now a Hungarian general has been appointed to serve for the first time as commander of the EU mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina for a whole year,” he said.

Sticz said Hungarian troops would not only participate but also coordinate large-scale operations. “There will also be an opportunity to deploy new military vehicles such as the new helicopters which will illustrate the progress made under the Hungarian armed forces’ modernisation since 2018,” he said.

Speaking on public Kossuth Radio, Sticz noted that based on the 2021 KFOR experience, the assignment of ALTHEA’s Hungarian command had been supported by the EU on a political and military level and approved by the United Nations last year. “This is important also because peace in the Balkans is our peace, too,” the general said.

He noted Hungarian troops’ capability in areal transport and evacuation which could be performed if need be to help local civilian residents. The general also noted the troops’ explosive expertise that cab be use in clearing landmines.

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Defence minister: 2024 budget guarantees security of Hungarians

Hungarian army Slovakia

Hungary’s 2024 central budget allocations will ensure the continuation of the armed forces’ reform and “appreciation for soldiers”, the defence minister said in a statement on Tuesday.

Hungary will continue to work towards fulfilling its objective to build a top-notch, technically advanced military force, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said in a statement. It will remain for the Hungarian government a national strategic goal to build a capable, innovative and high-tech defence force that can effectively respond to challenges, he said.

Allocations in this year’s budget will ensure the participation of Hungarian troops in NATO missions and international military exercises and guarantee maintaining a 2 percent of GDP defence spending, he added.

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Success: thousands of recruits enter Hungarian army in 2023

Thousands of new recruits

There were around 4,000 new army recruits this year, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, said in a statement on Saturday.

Interest in the military is strong and growing, the statement said, noting the success of online and offline media recruitment campaigns and school presentations in 2023.

The army recruitment website was visited more than 500,000 times and recruiters received more than 42,000 calls, it said, adding that from August to mid-September alone 1,500 new soldiers joined the Hungarian army.

The 4,000 new recruits include reservists, contract soldiers, and non-commissioned officers.

Also, more than 200 young people began studying military courses at the National Public Service University’s faculty of military science and defence officer training.

The “Iron Man” recruitment campaign is entering its second phase, and 149 people have already applied to train on PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers, the minister said.

Every soldier who proves to be fit for service and who applies for enlistment on Feb 12 in the artillery division of the 1st Armored Brigade will have a starting salary of a monthly 737,000 (EUR 1,920) before tax, the statement said.

Read also:

  • First Hungarian-made Lynx rolls off production line – Read more HERE
  • Hungary announced another important military development

Hungarians are in danger due to others’ bad decisions, says defence minister

Szalay-Bobrovniczky minister hungary defence

Hungary’s defence minister said Hungary was living in an “era of dangers due to the bad decisions of others”, in a video posted on Facebook on Wednesday.

The year 2023 had brought wars, migration, the threat of terror and “explosive social tensions” to Europe, Kristóf Salay-Bobrovniczky said.

“Bad decisions such as endless weapon deliveries, encouraging and financing migration, and the tensions, security risks and terror threat brought on by immigration impact Hungary too,” he said.

While Hungary doesn’t participate in the war, it will prepare to strengthen its defence capabilities to protect its peace and security, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. Besides building a “high-tech Armed Forces”, that includes developing the country’s military industry, he added.

“We will protect our sovereignty from those expecting us to hand over the decisions on the fate of Hungarians,” he said.

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Hungarian-Turkish armoured fighting vehicles JV established in Hungary

Gidrán infantry fighting vehicles

Hungarian and Turkish defence companies are establishing a joint venture to develop the Hungarian assembly and production of Turkish Gidran armoured fighting vehicles at the Rába Group’s production facility in Győr, in western Hungary.

Rába Jármű and the Turkish Nurol Makina ve Sanayi’s Hungarian subsidiary, Nurol Makina Hungary, announced the deal on Monday on the website of the Budapest Stock Exchange.

Hungarian suppliers will have a large role to play and the vehicles are primarily destined for the Hungarian Armed Forces, the statement said.

The JV also involves the defence ministry.

As we wrote before, Italian Beretta to manufacture arms in Hungary

Hungary sends many more troops to Bosnia than at present

bosnia

There is no peace in the Western Balkans, nor Hungary, without peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the defence minister said on Monday, addressing a farewell ceremony for Hungarians to serve on the EU’s EUFOR ALTHEA mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted that the mission’s command would be taken over by Major General László Sticz in January 2024 and the staff of the Hungarian contingent serving there would be tripled to 400 troops.

A 250-strong Hungarian unit deployed on the field will provide areal search, rescue and evacuation tasks, patrols, medical assistance and logistical support, the minister said. In addition, a 150-strong unit composed of a manoeuvre squadron, a military police group, a technical group and a chemical defence group with water purification capabilities will stand by in Hungary to support the mission, he said.

The minister said the Hungarian contingent would be deployed “in a difficult time probably never seen before”. He noted a deteriorating security situation in the region with a pressure posed by migration in the south, terrorist organisations becoming more active and “the traces and wounds of the Balkan wars”.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky called the ALTHEA mission “a great honour and at the same time a huge opportunity to test and prove Hungary’s army development [programme]”.

Sticz said peace and stability in the Western Balkans was in Hungary’s vested interest which was why Hungary had been serving on missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina for almost 30 years.

As we wrote earlier, Hungary developing ties with the Serbian Republic of Bosnia.

Watch this: First Leopard 2A7, Leguan 2HU tanks inaugurated at Tata base – VIDEO

First Leopard 2A7, Leguan 2HU tanks inaugurated at Tata base – VIDEO

tank

Hungary took delivery of the first Leopard 2A7HU tank, Leguan 2HU bridge-laying tank and a Wisent 2HU armoured support vehicle in a ceremony at the Tata military base on Thursday.

Addressing the event, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said the armoured vehicles were the world’s most advanced military vehicles, “more advanced than those of the German army’s”.

Hungary has ordered 44 “top-notch-technology” Leopard tanks to be delivered by 2028, he said, adding that altogether 3 Leguan tanks and 5 Wisents had been ordered along with other special military vehicles, simulators and spare-parts.

“The Leopards form the basic fleet of the military forces of 20 countries and the type developed for Hungary will serve as a basic model for developing the new, A8 configuration,” the minister said.

Defence min: Santa brings Hungary Leopard 2A7 tanks – PHOTOS

leopard 2a7 tanks

Hungary has taken delivery of the first of 44 Leopard 2A7 battle tanks it has procured, the defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The first five Leopard 2A7s are expected to be delivered to Hungary in the coming days, the statement quoted Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky as saying. He called the delivery of the new tanks a milestone in Hungary’s military upgrade programme that would “propel the Hungarian Armed Forces into the 21st century”.

The Leopard fleet will be completed by 2025 and will also include Leguan bridge-laying tanks and armoured recovery vehicles, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.

The replacement of Hungary’s Soviet-made vehicles with more modern ones is aided by cooperation with Germany’s KNDS Group, the minister said, noting that Hungary and the company’s leadership on additional services, simulations and maintenance.

This cooperation, he said, guaranteed that the Hungarian Armed Forces were not just getting new equipment “but an excellent quality fleet” which the German manufacturer will be supporting with important services.

The new Leopard tanks will be officially inaugurated on 14 December in Tata, in northern Hungary.

Check out some photos of the tanks below:

Socialists: Strong network of allies, Armed Forces development ‘national issue’

The development of Hungary’s Armed Forces is an “issue of national importance”, Socialist lawmaker Tamás Harangozó said on Wednesday, as he called for “a safe, peaceful country and a strong network of allies”.

Harangozó, the deputy head of parliament’s defence and law enforcement committee, told a press conference that the wars worldwide had shown the importance of strong allies who would be able to protect Hungary’s security.

The Socialists would enshrine into law the “institutional protection” of servicemen, and would guarantee “tax-exempt pension-like provisions” for them, linked to their time of service, he said.

The party would also continue procuring defence equipment, “but only NATO-compatible devices deemed acceptable by professionals, procured with the utmost transparency and accountability, while striving for political consensus”, Harangozó said.

Taking an active role in international crisis management could make the Armed Forces an important tool in representing national interests, he said. The military should also continue to develop its capability to protect civilians in case of disasters, he said.

Harangozó slammed the government’s defence development scheme as riddled by “institutional corruption, waste of money, failed organisatorial measures and contra-selection”. The development programme started in 2018 “has created a mostly dysfunctional mini mass army barely compatible with our network of allies”, he said.

“Hungary fulfilled only the bare minimum of its NATO commitments and is becoming a spoke in the wheel of EU integration, while its strong ties with Russia have remained despite the aggression against Ukraine,” he said.

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Minister: Orbán woke Hungary’s military up from slumber, permanent peace illusion

NATO EU Viktor Orbán military kickout

Permanent peace in the world without conflicts is only an illusion, and defence is a highlighted national affair, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said in Világgazdaság online on Saturday.

Hungary fulfilled the NATO requirement of defence spending to reach 2 percent of GDP one year ahead of the deadline, this year, he said.

The Hungarian government is providing the sources needed for the army’s comprehensive modernisation despite external economic challenges, he added.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky said he wanted Hungary to have a well-prepared and dedicated military, equipped with high-tech defence technology by the year 2030. Additionally, he said he wanted Hungary to become a key player in defence industry in the region.

The Hungarian government maintains its firm position concerning the Russia-Ukraine war, namely that only an immediate ceasefire and peace talks can bring a solution, he said.

He described the recent attacks in Israel as “barbarian beastiality committed against our civilisation” and added that Hungary supports Israel’s right for self defence.

The resurgence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict also highlights the fact that a peace deal cannot be signed with terrorists, and the combination of uncontrolled, mass migration and terrorism results in an increasing threat.

He added that thanks to measures Hungary introduced in good time after the 2015 migration crisis, Hungarians live in more safety than the citizens of other western countries.

The recent military exercise dubbed Adaptive Hussars 23 involving 4,500 soldiers, 200 pieces of technical equipment and multinational NATO troops further strengthened this, he added.

He confirmed that Hungary supports Sweden’s NATO membership, and said it only depended on lawmakers in parliament when a decision would be passed.

Read also:

  • Hungarian Wizz Air pilot crashed in Sweden under suspicious circumstances – Read more HERE
  • VIDEO: NATO battlegroup in Hungary tested during exercise – Details in THIS article

Minister: Hungary’s defence industry “strategically important”

Orbán cabinet fired too many military officers

After meeting Türkiye’s minister of industry and technology on Thursday, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, said developing Hungary’s defence industry was “strategically important” and would help the economy “to leap forward”.

Türkiye, he noted, is Hungary’s strategic partner, and military cooperation “is also intense”. Hungary’s defence industry is attractive for foreign investors given the country’s geographical location, its highly educated workforce, the favourable tax system, and its political stability, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said at the press conference held with Mehmet Fatih Kacir.

During their meeting, they reviewed multiple cooperation openings and agreed on establishing a working group to manage them. The sector in Hungary is designed to meet the equipment needs of the modernised armed forces as well as helping to drive the country’s economy, he said.

The minister noted the establishment of the Defense Innovation Research Institute (VIKI), linked to the NATO DIANA innovation centre, thanks to which Hungarian companies can join development work with large international partners.

The year 2025 has been designated as Turkish-Hungarian science and innovation year, the Turkish minister said, adding that Hungary was an important trading partner, with trade volume doubling in the last 17 years and the common goal of 6 billion dollars per year.

Read also:

  • The Hungarian government has extended state of emergency – Read more HERE
  • Government sends home all foreign construction companies from Hungary

DefMin: Adaptive Hussars 23 exercise successfully completed

hussars

The Adaptive Hussars 2023 international military exercise has concluded successfully, the defence ministry of said on Thursday.

Some 6,000 military personnel, including some 500 reservists, and 47 military organisations participated in the exercise of a scale and complexity not seen in Hungary for thirty years, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, said in a statement.

The purpose of the exercise was to test how the Hungarian armed forces reacted to unpredictable situations, he said. As part of the international exercise, fighter jets were deployed to Sarmellek air base from Kecskemét in a simulated action, the minister said.

“Here, the soldiers tested how they could ensure fuel supply as the most important logistics task in the event of a possible terror threat,” he added.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky said they had successfully integrated NATO forces stationed in Hungary into their defence operations and received the NATO forces assigned to Hungary’s defence, organising defence manoeuvres with their cooperation.

DefMin pays tribute to world wars soldiers at re-burial

Attending the re-burial ceremony of Hungarian WW1 and WW2 soldiers at the Fiumei Street Cemetery on Wednesday, the defence minister said that “we understand the fate of those soldiers who were our predecessors and we hold them in high esteem for their sacrifice.”

“By bidding a last farewell to the soldiers and paying them a belated honour, we are sending them the message that they had died for their country that had in the end become our homeland,” Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. “Many of them have now found the peace they deserve after a century, some after eight decades as lost heroes and forgotten victims of a terrible war,” the minister said, adding that a war ended only once “everybody is accounted for, and can return to a due place in the remembrance of the nation”.

He noted that experts of the Military History Institute and Museum had completed the exhumation of 460 fallen soldiers in the country’s entire territory in 2023. “This year, 118 heroes of the first and second world wars have been laid to eternal rest in the Fiumei Street Cemetery, 60 of whom have been identified so far,” he said.

At the ceremony, Roland Maruzs, the deputy commander of the museum, said that out of the 460 soldiers exhumed 396 were Hungarian, 37 German, 15 Soviet, 3 Romanian while in the case of 9, the nationality of the army unit they had served in could not be established. The remains of the foreign soldiers have been turned over to the partner organisations, he said.

At the ceremony, Colonel Istvan Kindl, who died on Sept 21 in 1944 near Arad, was laid to rest, along with four other soldiers who fell in the first world war.