Europe's Most Modern Tank Factory in Zalaegerszeg

Europe's most modern and sophisticated tank factory was built at a world record speed within the Group, providing Hungary with outstanding defense capabilities, Rheinmetall's President, Armin Papperger said at the inauguration of the company's Zalaegerszeg plant (SW Hungary) on Friday.

The President said Hungary is part of the European air defense initiative and has the capability and capacity to produce air defense weapons and ammunition. "We are ready to make Hungary an important player in the European defense industry," the Rheinmetall president pointed out.

He added that the factory is not just about concrete and steel, it is also about people, with more than 200 Hungarian workers already trained in recent years and hundreds more to join in the coming years.

Armin Papperger was of the view that Hungary made a strategic decision when it started to develop the defense industry, recognizing that the most important task of the government is to protect its own citizens and soldiers. "Freedom does not come for free, democracy and freedom come at a heavy price," and the defense of the European Union and NATO member states must also be fought for.

For Rheinmetall, Hungary is not only a customer but also a cooperation partner, one of the world's five largest investment markets, alongside such powerhouses as the UK, Germany, Australia and the United States. This is only possible because the country has set out a very important vision for the development of the defense industry," Armin Papperger stressed.

According to a press release from Rheinmetall Hungary Plc., the company is primarily engaged in the development and production of tracked and wheeled vehicles for the Hungarian military forces, primarily the Lynx armored fighting vehicles. A development, production and test center was built on a 33-hectare site in Zalaegerszeg, which will eventually employ a total of 350 people and include a climate chamber and a firing range.

Under the agreement with the government, Rheinmetall will supply the Hungarian Defense Forces with a total of 209 Lynxes of seven different types, 18 support vehicles and 38 military trucks. In the first phase, 46 Lynx and nine support vehicles will be delivered from Germany – delivery of which has already begun – and in the second phase, 172 Lynx combat vehicles will be delivered from the Zalaegerszeg plant.