Hungary has agreed to a $2.4 billion deal with Rheinmetall to procure its Lynx infantry fighting vehicles and produce the platforms in the country, the German manufacturer said Tuesday.
The Lynx IFV is the same platform Rheinmetall, along with Raytheon [RTN], offered for the Army’s initial attempt at the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program.
“The Lynx’s market breakthrough is a major success for us. And the fact that we were able to convince Hungary – an important EU and NATO partner – to choose this innovative vehicle makes this success all the greater,” Armin Papperger, chairman of Rheinmetall’s executive board, said in a statement.
Hungary is officially the first customer for Lynx, with Rheinmetall noting it has established a joint venture with the Hungarian armed forces to assist in the production of the vehicles.
“As the most advanced system of its kind, the Lynx has demonstrated its suitability for a central role in the Army’s capabilities spectrum for decades to come. In keeping with earlier promises by the Hungarian government to enhance the nation’s armed forces, this cooperative endeavor extends far beyond the modernization of military technology,” László Palkovics, Hungary’s Minister of Innovation and Technology, and Gáspár Maróth, Commissioner for Defense Development, said in a joint statement.
During the Army’s initial prototype search for the Bradley-replacing OMFV, officials disqualified Raytheon and Rheinmetall’s Lynx offering after the two companies were unable to deliver a bid sample by the proposal deadline (Defense Daily, Oct. 14 2019).
The Army has since canceled that OMFV search and restarted the competition, releasing a draft RFP in July with plans to award up to five contracts next summer for digital design prototypes (Defense Daily, July 17).