The 1st Grenadier Battalion of the MH Kinizsi Pál 30th Mechanised Infantry Brigade will be the first to operate the KF41 Lynx vehicles. The battalion has received 45 Lynx IFVs to date, comprising 25 vehicles produced in Germany and 20 assembled in Hungary.
Certification exercises for the unit are planned soon and will involve collaboration with the MH Klapka György 1st Armoured Brigade. This armoured brigade is equipped with Leopard 2A7HU tanks and PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers, ensuring interoperability within Hungary’s modernised defence forces.
Ultimately, all three mechanised battalions of the newly formed 30th Mechanised Infantry Brigade will be equipped with Lynx IFVs. The brigade, established on 1 January 2023, currently operates outdated BTR-80 wheeled armoured personnel carriers as an interim solution.
Hungary placed its order for KF41 Lynx vehicles in August 2020 under a €2 billion contract. The deal includes Lynx vehicles in seven variants, ranging from combat and command vehicles to reconnaissance, fire control, medical evacuation, and training driver platforms. Additionally, nine Leopard 2-based support vehicles are part of the order.
Of the total vehicles, 46 are being produced in Germany, while the remaining units are assembled at Rheinmetall’s facility in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary. Deliveries commenced in October 2022, and the first Hungarian-assembled Lynx was completed in December 2023. Full delivery is expected by 2030.
Initial testing revealed some issues with the vehicles, which the manufacturer has reportedly resolved. Hungary is also exploring the acquisition of an air-defence variant of the Lynx equipped with the Skyranger 30 artillery-missile weapon module, further expanding the platform’s capabilities.
