Turkish combat vehicle will be manufactured in Hungary

Turkish defence company Nurol Makina and N7 Nemzeti Védelmi Ipari Innovation Holding signed on Tuesday an MoU on a joint venture to manufacture Gidrán combat vehicles.

The companies’ chief executives Engin Ufuk Aykol and László Palkovics, respectively, signed the deal in the presence of Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defense minister, in the ministry building.

The deal involves production and assembly as well as research and development in Hungary, the ministry said in a statement.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted efforts under way to revamp the Hungarian armed forces, saying that this must be achieved in a way that insulates Hungary from supplier risks. This entails building a “serious” defence industry in a way that serves the armed forces development as well as that of the Hungarian economy as a whole, he said. Hungary views Türkiye as a strategic partner in this, he added.

So far the assembly of the Gidrán combat vehicle has taken place in Kaposvár, and now the entire vehicle itself will also be manufactured in Gyor, in western Hungary, at the Raba manufacturing site. This, he added, was “a huge step forward” because of the export potential as well as satisfying domestic needs.

At least 200 new jobs will be created thanks to the deal, he said, adding that a broad network of domestic suppliers will also be involved.

The JV will be named Gidrán, an ancient Hungarian breed of horse ridden by hussars due to its excellent fighting ability, the minister said. Here is a video of the Gidrán:

We wrote HERE that an advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System inaugurated in Győr. In THIS article, you may read about the Hungarian soldiers serving in Israel.