The Hungarian Defence Forces 1st Armored Brigade recently received another two Leopard 2A7HU (Leopard 2A7+) main battle tanks – announced Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky. With the arrival of the Leopard 2A7 Driver Training Tank, from now on the successfully trained armor officers and NCOs can continue their further training in Tata, Hungary. This months-long vocational training course guarantees that the personnel will gain professional knowledge of the new military equipment – said the Minister of Defence. With this addition, the HDF “vitéz Tarczay Ervin” 11th Tank Battalion now has 13 main battle tanks developed to meet Hungarian needs.The process is still going on, as altogether 48 units of the high-tech military equipment will have arrived in Hungary by 2028.
The planned delivery of the Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks is an introduction for a broader Hungarian armour/artillery modernization programme launched back in 2018. Alongside the Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks acting as a gap-filler, the Hungarians have also ordered 44 brand new Leopard 2A7+ MBTs and 24 PzH 2000 howitzers. The contract also includes delivery of support platforms (such as Wisent 2 ARVs – five vehicles plus extras, or thirteen Rheinmetall HX and TGS heavy-duty logistics support vehicles), along with expansive training and logistics support package. The package procured for the Hungarian Army can be viewed as one of the most significant modernization programmes undertaken recently.
Hungary ordered forty-four 2A7+s (subvariant 2A7HU), making them the second operator of the improved version, after Qatar. The Leopard 2A7+ is designed to operate both in low-intensity and high-intensity conflicts. The hull of the tank is 7.7 meters long, and its length with gun forward is 10.97 meters. Without add-on armor, it measures 3.76 meters in width, and 3.03 meters in height.The tank’s protection has been increased by modular armour. The frontal protection has been improved with a dual kit on the turret and hull front, while 360° protection against RPGs and mine protection increase the survivability of the tank in urban operations. The modular armour’s system components were first used by Canada in Afghanistan.
Its firepower is provided by an L55A1 120 mm Rheinmetall tank gun, which facilitates firing accuracy even from a distance of 5000 meters. It can fire programmable High Explosive munitions. Furthermore, the tank also has a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, a stabilised FLW 200 remote-controlled weapon station (RCWS) with a 12.7 mm machine gun, as well as two banks of eight 76mm smoke grenade launchers, which are also suitable for firing HE grenades. Mobility, sustainability, and situational awareness have also been improved. The Leopard 2A7+ has been tested by the Bundeswehr under the name UrbOp (urban operations). The Leopard 2A7+ was first shown to the public during the Eurosatory 2010, featuring the label “Developed by KMW – tested and qualified by the German Ministry of Defence”.
