On Friday, 12 December 2025, as reported by the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, a ceremony marking the acceptance of the last of 44 Leopard 2A7HU main battle tanks ordered from the German company KNDS Deutschland (part of the German–French KNDS joint venture) took place at the barracks of the 1st Armored Brigade in Tata, Komárom-Esztergom County, in northern Hungary.
Photos: Hungarian Ministry of Defence
The ceremony was attended, among others, by Hungary’s Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the Chief of the General Staff of the Hungarian Defence Forces (Magyar Honvédség), General Gábor Böröndi, and the CEO of KNDS Deutschland, Ralf Ketzel.
During the ceremony, Ralf Ketzel announced another success of the Leopard 2 programme: an assembly plant will be established in Lithuania, where 41 of the 44 Lithuanian Leopard 2A8 tanks will be assembled, in accordance with an agreement concluded the previous day.
During the event, the Hungarian Minister of Defence presented a special award to KNDS. Ralf Ketzel, Mario Gall, the responsible project manager, and Peter Ulbrich, Managing Director of KNDS Hungary Kft., the company providing in-service support and availability of the vehicles, received the awards in recognition of KNDS’s achievements (it is also worth noting that on 20 February, KNDS Deutschland, together with the Hungarian company HM Currus Zrt., established the joint venture Leopard Hungary MRO Kft., which will be responsible for supporting all types of vehicles produced by the German manufacturer).
“I am very proud of this award and of being here. We have been able to play a key role in supporting Hungary in the modernization of its armed forces. As a full systems provider, KNDS has demonstrated that it is capable of successfully delivering complete solutions from a single source, ranging from training and logistical support to various vehicle systems,” said Ralf Ketzel, CEO of KNDS.
In accordance with the contractual arrangements, the delivery of all vehicles has therefore been completed on schedule.
On 19 December 2018, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence signed a contract with KMW for the delivery of 44 Leopard 2A7HU main battle tanks, 24 155 mm Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) self-propelled howitzers, six Bergepanzer 3 armored recovery vehicles, six Leguan armored bridge systems, five WiSENT 2HU armored engineer support vehicles, a simulation center, and a comprehensive training and logistics package, as well as for the leasing of 12 Leopard 2A4HU tanks, for a total value of 1.5 billion EUR (of which approximately 500 million EUR was allocated to the Leopard 2A7HU tanks).
Meanwhile, on 30 September 2019, the German group Rheinmetall AG received a contract worth 300 million EUR for the production of fire-control systems and armament for the Leopard 2A7HU tanks, as well as hulls, fire-control systems, and main armament for the PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers.
Before deliveries of the Leopard 2A7HU began, the 11th Tank Battalion started receiving 12 leased Leopard 2A4HU tanks in July 2020, intended for training Hungarian soldiers. At the end of October 2020, new barracks with tank garages were opened in Tata, where the Leopard 2A7HU tanks have now been stationed. Deliveries of the Leopard 2A7HU began on 5 December 2023 and continued through 2024, when initial training commenced, and throughout 2025. The Leopard tanks replaced 34 frontline T-72M/M1 tanks (with a further 130 held in reserve).
Complementing the modern main battle tanks and self-propelled howitzers are the new KF41HU Lynx infantry fighting vehicles, of which 218 have been ordered and deliveries have already begun. A significant portion of these vehicles is being produced locally (alongside the Turkish Gidrán 4×4 armored vehicles), including specialist variants (so far, an artillery-and-missile variant of the Oerlikon Skyranger 30 air defense system and the NEMO self-propelled mortar have been announced). Similarly, next-generation KF51 Panther EVO tanks could also be produced locally should the Ministry of Defence place an order.
