KNDS hands over the last of 44 Leopard 2A7HU main battle tanks to Hungary
Munich, December 12, 2025 – The Hungarian army is celebrating the completion of the Leopard 2A7HU delivery with a public parade. In the presence of Hungarian Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky and Chief of the Hungarian Armed Forces General Gábor Böröndi, the 1st Armored Brigade presented its systems. Ralf Ketzel, CEO of KNDS Deutschland (KNDS), attended at the invitation of the Chief of the Hungarian Armed Forces.
During the event, the Hungarian Minister of Defence presented KNDS with a special award. Ralf Ketzel, Mario Gall, the project’s responsible program manager, and Peter Ulbrich, Managing Director of KNDS Hungary Kft., which ensures the maintenance and availability of the vehicles, received awards as a token of appreciation for KNDS’s achievement.
“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.
As contractually agreed, the delivery of all vehicle systems has therefore been completed on schedule. In addition to the LEOPARD main battle tanks, the contract signed in December 2018 also included 24 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers, three LEGUAN bridge-laying systems, five WiSENT recovery tanks, a simulation center, and a comprehensive training and logistics package.
Photo courtesy KNDS
