Historic Hussars Now Equipped with State-of-the-Art Military Gear

Hungary Today 2024.10.08.

The Hungarian Defense Forces will have Hussars again, announced Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky on his social media page.

“The 21st century Hussars serve the country as a modern fighting unit, a NATO-compatible reconnaissance force, and carry on the Hungarian Hussar tradition with the most modern equipment.
In addition to the mounted Hussars, a combat reconnaissance Hussars unit will be formed, equipped with the latest Lynx and Gidran combat vehicles, and will be part of the Nádasdy Hussar Regiment”, wrote the minister.

Fact

The hussar was a class of light cavalry that originated in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these cavalrymen were later widely adopted by the light cavalry regiments of European armies in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Many modern armies have retained the name hussars for armored (tank) units. In addition, a number of cavalry units have survived that wear the historic Hussars uniform when parading or providing ceremonial escort.

The “horses” of the new regiment, the Lynx and the Gidrán, are the most modern equipment of the Hungarian Defense Forces in their category.

In 2020, an agreement was reached on the purchase of around 218 Rheinmetall Lynx KF41 combat vehicles for the Hungarian Defense Forces. Under the terms of the contract, all but the first 46 units will be produced in Hungary, specifically in a factory built in Zalaegerszeg (western Hungary).

Lynx KF 41, Rheinmetall. Photo: Hungary Today

The most important piece of the aforementioned Lynx’s remarkable main armament is the 30 mm automatic machine gun, which can fire programmable ammunition with a range of up to 3,000 meters. In parallel, a 7.62 millimeter machine gun can also be found on Lynxes. In addition to the main armament, there is a 12.7 millimeter remote-controlled weapons platform, as well as space for armor-piercing missiles on the turret.

The other state-of-the-art vehicle, the Gidrán, known internationally as Ejder Yalçin, is a multi-purpose, modular armored vehicle developed by Turkish company Nurol Makina.

The Gidráns are currently being integrated into the Hungarian armed forces to improve mobility and operational efficiency.

Gidrán armored combat vehicle. Photo: Honvédelem.hu

These vehicles can serve as mobile fire control points, observation posts, and command centers. In total, the Hungarian army will receive 300 Gidráns as part of the defense and military development program.

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Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured image via Facebook/Szalay-Bobrovniczky Kristóf