Hungarian Defence Minister: 2024 showed ‘importance of peace, security, defence’
“This year has taught us the importance of peace, security and defence,” Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said in a video on Facebook on Monday.
Procurement of the Carl Gustaf M4 armoured personnel carriers closed
The Hungarian Defence Forces have taken delivery of all Carl Gustaf M4 hand-held anti-tank guns under a contract with SAAB BOFORS Dynamics, Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said on Friday. The new equipment is intended to replace the Soviet RPG -7 type anti-tank grenade launchers that have been in use for decades.
The Minister of Defence said that another successful project under the Defence and Military Development Programme had been completed, as the delivery of the last HEAT 751 grenades completed the procurement of the Carl Gustaf M4 anti-tank grenades.
The Carl Gustaf M4 is the Swedish military industry’s most successful portable armoured vehicle, with different versions of the grenade launcher being used by the armed forces of more than forty countries. Five different types of grenades for the weapon have been procured for Hungary, which can be used to attack buildings, enemy’s living forces and military equipment, the Minister added.
Thanks to its modern guidance equipment, which can be used at any time of day, it can be fired accurately in a variety of environmental conditions and combat situations: against targets stationary up to 1,000 metres and moving up to about 400 metres. It can fire smoke and destructive shells at a range of one kilometre and, with laser guidance, can hit a target at a range of two kilometres,” said Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky. Carl Gustaf M4 anti-tank missiles are compatible with military development plans and allow for agile and effective deployment, contributing to the development of fire support capabilities for land troops.
Szalay-Bobrovniczky said a series of “bad decisions” had brought Europe closer and closer to the war, and the consequences of migration “are increasingly unbearable in European metropolises”. “Hungary is consistently protecting itself from migration and from being dragged into the war. We raise our voices for peace and ceasefire every day, and we have also strengthened our defence capabilities,” he said.
He said the armed forces had conducted successful recruiting campaigns, training, and exercises and had procured the “most modern defense equipment” in 2024. In 2025, it will continue to purchase aircraft and helicopters, develop air defence capabilities and continue recruiting, Defence Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.
“We are confident that with President Trump’s inauguration, the war will end and we will have peace in Europe and with our families, ” said Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky.
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