The old Iron Curtain countries, which some of them are a part of NATO today, continue to acquire new defence systems within the scope of the army's orientation to new standards.
Hungary, which has T-72s from the Cold War era in its inventory, signed an agreement with Germany for the acquisition of new main battle tanks in recent months. The first batch of Leopard 2A4 tanks procured under the contract reached the country via motorway on Hedyashalom Border after refurbishment, maintenance and repair activities. Four to five platforms were seen in images shared from the official channels of the Hungarian Army. The main battle tanks acquired from Krauss Maffei-Wegmann reserves will replace the T-72s that are currently in use. Hungary stated that the Leopard 2A4s will be used mainly for training tasks to train crews for the Leopard 2A7+ tanks, which will be delivered in the coming years.
Hungary had launched a comprehensive procurement program in the past years to replace the Soviet-era defence systems in its inventory with NATO-standard equipment. In this context, Budapest signed an agreement with Germany to procure 12 Leopard 2A4 and 44 Leopard 2A7 + main battle tanks. Deliveries of the A7+ platforms, which are the most advanced variant of the Leopard 2 family, are expected to start in 2023.
