Less than a year after Hungary launched its rapid manufacturing program at its newly opened military vehicle factory, the first domestically-made KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) has been delivered. The Lynx was completed last December, but as the initial vehicle to roll off the assembly line at the facilities in Zalaegerszeg, it was put through extensive inspections and performance tests.

It was officially handed over to the Hungarian armed forces earlier this month – the first of a new batch of IFVs that will be produced in Hungary under license from the German-based Rheinmetall arms manufacturer. Budapest is already on track to receive forty-six of the German-made tracked IFVs by the end of next year, with the first of the Lynx already delivered in October 2022.

Production on the remaining vehicles began last year at the new Hungarian facility, which was opened as part of a Rheinmetall Hungary Zrt. joint venture – with Rheinmetall controlling a fifty-one percent stake and the Hungarian government maintaining a forty-nine percent share.

Hungary will receive a total of 209 of the modular Lynx vehicles as part of an August 2020 deal valued at 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion). Forty-five will be produced in Germany, while the remaining 172 vehicles will be built domestically in Hungary.

"We are grateful to be able to support the Hungarian armed forces as an industrial partner in the Lynx lighthouse project. We have now reached an important milestone within the project. With the production of the Lynx, we are seriously proving our commitment to creating local added value in Hungary and transferring technology to the country. This model is also transferable to other countries which might also be interested in similar partnerships," said Dr. Björn Bernhard, head of Rheinmetall Vehicle Systems Europe.

In addition to the basic IFV vehicle, other variants include a mobile command post, armored reconnaissance vehicle, fire control vehicle, mortar carrier, medical vehicle, and driving school vehicle. A Lynx air defense tank, armed with a Skyranger 30 turret, is currently in development as part of a second contract that was placed in December 2023.

"Peace requires strength, which means a lot of kinds of strength, and in this regard, we have gained real and serious strength with Rheinmetall and in this alliance, which significantly enriches Hungary," added Hungarian Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky. "This is a kind of strategic partnership that is more than strategy or partnership – this is a real alliance, and within this framework, we hope to win the future for Hungarians, and we're building something that will remain for the next generations, and we're strengthening Hungary."

The Lynx Beyond Hungary

In addition to supplying the Hungarian Army, the factory will produce the KF41 Lynx for other NATO members and partners. The Lynx was one of the platforms considered by the U.S. Army in its Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program to replace the aging Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV).

However, the initial Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) was canceled in January 2020, only to be "rebooted" in July 2021. The program has since continued to move forward, and in June 2023, the American Rheinmetall KF41 Lynx was selected – along with an offering from General Dynamics Land Systems – as part of the program's efforts to produce the XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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