Hungarian Military Industry - Rebirth from Scratch

The western Hungarian town of Gyor and renowned automotive group Raba have once again been put on the increasingly detailed map of Hungary's military industry with the production of Gidran armored combat vehicles for the Hungarian Defense Forces, together with the Turkish company Nurol Makina.

gidrán, honvédség Forrás: honvedelem.hu

Giant factory in the Bakony Hills

Also recently, a topping-out ceremony was held for the Defense Industrial Park in  Varpalota, a 400-hectare site that will be used for the production of medium and large caliber ammunition and explosives. 

The Hungarian state, together with Rheinmetall AG, will create between 1,000 and 1,200 new jobs with the project in Varpalota, worth more than HUF 300 billion (EUR 782 million), setting up one of the largest ammunition factories in Europe.

 Topping-out ceremony of the Defense Industrial Park in Varpalota (Photo: Zoltan Mathe)

According to plans, the Hirtenberger mortar factory, which was purchased by the Hungarian state in 2019 and is scheduled to relocate from Austria in 2024, will also be located in the Defense Industrial Park in Varpalota.

Airbus built a helicopter parts factory in Gyula. The new facility operates in a joint venture between Airbus and the Hungarian state, and the precision parts and components manufactured there can be found in all Airbus military and civilian helicopters.

The Hungarian soldiers’ handguns are also made at a Hungarian plant in Kiskunfelegyhaza (central Hungary). The factory produces under license pistols, submachine guns and machine guns of the Czech CZ and the legendary American Colt CZ, now Czech-owned. It will also manufacture products - includin  RGW 110 anti-tank weapons for the Hungarian army - of the German-Israeli company DND under a contract between Dynamit Nobel Defense GmbH (DND) and the state-owned N7 Holding Zrt.

A contract was concluded three years ago for the purchase of 11 ELM-2084 radars for the Hungarian Defense Forces. Some of the Israeli-developed devices will be assembled and later maintained in Nyirtelek (eastern Hungary).

Aircraft, satellites, drones

At the end of September last year, it was announced that HSC Aerojet Zrt, holding an 80 percent stake in the Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody, had been taken over by the Hungarian state. The Hungarian Defense Forces will purchase L-39NG military trainer jet aircraft from the Czech-Hungarian company.

At the inauguration ceremony of the Rheinmetall plant in Zalaegerszeg in August, Hungarian Prime Minster Viktor Orban  announced the establishment of a joint venture in Hungary to produce combat drones. The plant will initially produce the Israeli-developed HERO kamikaze drones.

The government is also exploring the possibility of developing and manufacturing radio and satellite communication systems with a base near Godollo (near Budapest), where several Hungarian companies are well positioned in this field, according to the economic daily Világgazdasag .

In addition to the above, several smaller companies are also active in the manufacture and development of military electronics, optical and radar systems and drones in Hungary. One of them is  Pro Patria, achieving increasing export success with its mobile combat radar equipment.

Cover photo: Hungarian soldiers test the Gidran combat vehicle to be manufactured in Győr in the future (Source: Honvedelem.hu)