Hungary's KF41 Lynx - Europe's youngest infantry fighting vehicle

On October 15, 2022, Rheinmetall handed over the first of a total of 209 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles to the Hungarian Armed Forces.

Only two years after the commissioning, Rheinmetall AG's CEO, Armin Papperger, presented the key to Hungarian Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky. The handover took place during the swearing-in ceremony of new recruits of the Hungarian Armed Forces at the Petöfi Sándor Barracks in Budapest, attended by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as well. Lynx will become the backbone of Hungary's mechanized infantry forces.

In September 2020, the Hungarian Ministry of Defense awarded Rheinmetall a contract worth over 2 billion EUR for the delivery of combat vehicles and related services. The holistic scope of supply also includes ammunition, logistical services, as well as nine Bergepanzer 3 Büffel, nine bridgelayer tanks, and 16 trucks.

Hungary becomes the first NATO and EU member state to receive Rheinmetall's newly developed Lynx infantry fighting vehicle. With this significant success, the Duesseldorf-based technology group achieved a breakthrough with its new innovative combat vehicle on the global market.

The Lynx KF41 for the Hungarian Armed Forces will be delivered in seven variants, including standard infantry fighting vehicles, command vehicles, reconnaissance vehicles, fire control, mortar carriers, medical vehicles, and training vehicles. In addition, the contract includes other services from Rheinmetall such as simulators, training and education, as well as an initial supply of spare parts and maintenance services.

The Lynx infantry fighting vehicles will be equipped with the manned 30mm Lance turret and the StrikeShield active protection system - both also developed by Rheinmetall.

In an initial production phase, Hungary will receive 46 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles from German production. By the end of next year, Rheinmetall plans to produce the remaining vehicles in the customer's country. In mid-August 2020, an agreement was reached between the Hungarian government and Rheinmetall to establish a joint venture responsible for establishing Lynx production in the customer's country.

The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for the innovative combat vehicle is currently being built in Zalaegerszeg as part of the ZALAZone industrial complex. This center of excellence not only contributes to the maintenance and further development of Hungarian capabilities in the development and production of modern combat vehicles but also strengthens the domestic economy. The new Hungarian Rheinmetall colleagues are already working in Germany on the new Lynx vehicles and thereby gaining valuable knowledge and skills to support knowledge transfer and technology.

Lynx - modular, flexible, future-proof

The Lynx concept includes a complete vehicle family consisting of the chassis module and flexible mission equipment in numerous variants. This allows each base vehicle to be configured as an infantry fighting vehicle, air defense system, command vehicle, or medical vehicle, for example. The configuration change can be done within hours. By standardizing the base vehicles, this system significantly reduces life cycle costs and allows military users to quickly adapt force structures or develop new capabilities. Lynx is characterized by a high level of survivability, mobility, and combat power, as well as high growth potential in terms of overall weight.

The Lance turret features powerful sensor systems to fully utilize the capabilities of the associated next-generation programmable 30mm ammunition and the modern anti-tank missile system Spike 2 LR. This enables it to engage both symmetric and asymmetric threats in an adaptable manner.

Lynx and Lance are fully digitized and based on the generic NATO Vehicle Architecture (NGVA). This integrates the vehicle crew, dismounted forces, and the vehicle itself into digitalized combat management. Improved situational awareness allows for quick target acquisition or handoff. Furthermore, it enables the integration of multispectral reconnaissance capabilities including drones and loitering munitions for target acquisition and engagement beyond the line of sight.

The Lynx's modular multi-layer protection concept combines passive and active elements. The Lynx provides its crew with protection against the full spectrum of threats, including explosions, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), direct and indirect fire, cluster munitions, and anti-tank missiles. With its high lethality and mobility, Lynx will enable the armed forces to conduct complex military operations across the entire intensity spectrum in various environments and against a variety of threats.

With its large interior volume, Lynx is unparalleled in its vehicle class. In addition to the three crew members, up to eight soldiers can dismount and conduct effective combat operations.

Due to its digitization and modern design, Lynx can compete with today's adversaries and offers growth potential against tomorrow's threats. The modular architecture allows for reserves in terms of payload, electric drive, and processing to seamlessly integrate additional mission equipment into the vehicle or enable additional variants within a single vehicle family.

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