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Perhaps the most important tool of the ground force, despite the important protection of the tank, it is invulnerable. There can be many tactical situations where you need to be defended, and this can only be provided by infantry. However, it is not possible to keep up on foot with the fast moving tanks in the field. Recognizing this, they had already experimented with the first fully armed formations to create infantry transport vehicles with the same or very similar mobility to their tank.
APC, IFV and the boys of Pest in ’56
In the early period, in mechanized or armored superior units, mechanized infantry transports, in addition to trucks, were initially open-toed tracked or semi-tracked vehicles, whose off-road capacity and speed made them suitable to accompany armored wedges of high speed. There have been attempts in other directions, such as the Mark IX passenger tank from World War I or World War II. The Soviet World War II solution, the so-called tank landing that clung to the exterior of armored vehicles, but none provided a lasting solution. At the time of the proliferation of deep operations, the vehicles developed in the 1930s, the British aircraft carrier Bren, the German SdKfz 251 and 250, the American M3 half-track met the basic expectations, but the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the experience of the 1956 fighting in Budapest showed that open battlefield vehicles are obsolete.
In the 1950s and 1950s, armored personnel carriers (APC) with up to category heavy machine guns (infantry fighting vehicle – IFV). These armored vehicles could now carry less infantry, but their increased firepower made them suitable for many more tasks on the battlefield. For the first time in Hungary, the BMP-1 was systematized in the stock of armored units designated for impact measurement. However, its initial 73mm low velocity cannon soon became unsuitable for certain tasks, so like the western counterparts of the improved BMP-2, it was given a machine gun as its primary weapon. However, this development did not reach the Hungarian People’s Army, later the Hungarian Armed Forces.
For nearly a decade and a half, an armed force designed to defend the country’s defense and independence, in the absence of heavy technology, was a one-armed giant. However, the Leopard 2 tanks and Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled guns ordered in 2018 during the Zrínyi 2026 program are only one part of fully armed ground warfare, as they cannot perform their functions effectively without the infantry, also called the queen of the battlefield. However, you cannot imagine a modern army without mechanized infantry. Experts expected the first announced Leopard 2 and Panzerhabitze 2000 to be announced soon to replace the recklessly retired Triassic T-72, BMP-1, 2Sz1 Gvozgyika. In late August 2020, and as the last announced step in land force reform thus far, Hungary established a joint venture with RLS for domestic production of Lynx.
German big cats
Few previous traditions have survived in the German army since II. After WWII, one of these was the appointment of armored fighting vehicles from big cats or predators. After the Leopard tanks, the Cheetah self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, the Weasels (Marder) gunmen, it was a logical step to name the new vehicle Lynx.
Designed for the transport of pedestrians, the modern tracked vehicle first appeared in 2016 on the Rheinmetall Land Systeme (RLS) booth at the Eurosatory exhibition. The company intends to replace the old Western (Marder, Warrior, etc.) and Soviet BMP-1/2/3 combat vehicles with Lynx, which, thanks to its modular design, features mobile command points, reconnaissance, technical rescue and battlefield / medical rescue services, plus shooting armor. it can also be used incorporating various components even in camping conditions. The Lynx has all the capabilities you would expect from its category, including protection against medium-caliber projectiles, shrapnel, mines, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as air filtration, air-conditioned interiors and weapons of mass destruction. (NBC). Furthermore, passive protection can be supplemented with active protection devices.
Its armament consists of a parallel 7.62×51 mm NATO caliber machine gun in addition to the main armament of a 30-35 mm machine gun that can be deflected between + 45˚ and -10˚ and incorporated into the Lance 2.0 tower. Depending on the mission, the upgraded tower 2.0 can be outfitted with additional gear and weapons, including a Rafael Spike LR with two missiles, a smaller reconnaissance drone launcher, and an electronic warfare gondola.
KF-41, the longest Lynx
So far, the RLS has presented two basic versions of the Lynx, the KF-31 version, capable of carrying 6 people in addition to 3 operators, with a maximum total weight of 38 tons, was the first, while the extended body 3 + 8 people, up to 50 tons total weight KF-41 is the second. According to recent announcements, the Hungarian Armed Forces are regularizing 218 KF-41s, most of which will be manufactured in Hungary.
Hungary is the first to systematize the device, which can be called the most modern sniper armor in the world. Since a larger number are not yet in the system, it is highly likely that problems will arise that will inevitably arise in the development of highly complex modern weapons. Just think of the difficulties of developing the F-35 or the problems surrounding the DDG-1000 destroyers. This is reduced by the fact that some of its systems (for example, the diesel engine) are already proven and mature devices in other areas.
In addition to the above, it is a special pleasure that, in addition to purchasing such a modern vehicle, we can also talk about establishing a production base that not only contributes to the performance of the Hungarian industry, but also further expands the capabilities of the national workforce through technology and the knowledge transfer that goes with it. The importance of this will be discussed in our article on the history of the Hungarian military industry.
(Cover image: Lynx KF-41 / youtube)
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