First locally built KF41 Lynx IFV handed over to Hungary
Hungary’s first locally built KF41.(Photo: Hungarian MoD)
The KF41 procurement is part of Hungary’s Zrínyi 2026 development plan and is one of several efforts to procure modern, NATO-standard platforms that will supersede legacy equipment received from the Soviet Union by 2026.
The first Hungarian-made KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) was handed over to the country’s army on 24 July after a rapid manufacturing programme which only saw the factory open in August 2023.
Another sign of the speed of the programme is that the vehicle’s manufacture was completed five months later in December before the IFV underwent what lead company Rheinmetall describes as “extensive functional inspections as well as performance and quality acceptances.”
In August 2020, the Hungarian MoD commissioned the Rheinmetall Group to supply combat vehicles and associated services worth over €2 billion (US$2.17 billion) as part of its ‘Zrínyi 2026’ initiative.
The first German-made vehicle was handed over in October 2022 and local manufacture is carried out by Rheinmetall Hungary Zrt, a joint venture between Rheinmetall (51%) and the Hungarian government (49%) in Zalaegerszeg.
In the first production phase, Hungary will receive 46 German-made Lynx by the end of 2025 but ultimately 209 KF41’s are to be provided in seven variants including IFV, C2, armoured reconnaissance, fire control and mortar carrier.
Under a separate contact placed in December 2023, a Lynx air defence variant with a Skyranger 30 turret is also being developed.
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