The munitions manufacturing facility at the Várpalota Defence Industrial Complex, operated in partnership with German Rheinmetall, will contribute to reducing Hungarian dependence on supply chains, Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky stated at the inauguration ceremony on Monday.
During the handover ceremony, Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky highlighted that the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the necessity for every country to have a well-functioning defence industry capable of supplying the nation at all times and in all situations.
Hungary is the most attractive investment location in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region according to Site Selection Magazine’s Global Best To Invest. In recent years, Hungary has experienced a significant surge in investment from Eastern countries, particularly China, while Germany continues to be one of the top investors in the country.
Hungary has the most hot springs in the European Union. The municipal government of Szeged is making a unique effort to try to utilize geothermal energy for its district heating system.
According to press reports, an Israeli ELM-2084 multi-mission radar, also utilized as part of the renowned Israeli Iron Dome air defence system, has been sighted near a Hungarian settlement. The Hungarian Defence Forces have procured eleven of these modern systems.
At the handover ceremony Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky stressed that the new 2A7HU tanks, which are among the most modern globally, ‘represent a whole new world, even compared to the A4s, and are more modern than those used by the German forces.’
‘What will determine whether the situation plays to Hungary’s favour or not will be the ability of its leaders to balance the concerns of its security partners with the benefits it gains from its economic ones. With its society becoming more dependent on cyber infrastructure, what is undeniable is the necessity to protect it from hostile foreign influence and manipulation. Its western allies offer the greatest opportunity to accomplish that but would likely come at the cost of its Chinese-built infrastructure.’
In the mid-2010s, the Hungarian defence industry was declared a key national economic area with the goal of providing Hungarian-made state-of-the-art defence equipment to the renewed Hungarian armed forces and make Hungary an arms exporter. Since then several major international companies have announced plans to bring their manufacturing and development capacity to the country.
Speaking at a conference on defence industry supplier development held at the Bálna Defence Centre, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky pointed out that in pursuit of advancing the defence industry, strategic agreements have been concluded with several major international players, including German, Norwegian, French and Turkish companies.
The equipping of the Gidrán combat vehicle already started in Hungary years ago, but from now on, the vehicle itself will be manufactured in the country.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
