Turkey’s Ejder Yalçın 4X4 Armored Combat Vehicles To Be Produced in Hungary
Turkish armored vehicle manufacturer Nurol Makina, Nurol Makina Hungary, N7 National Defense Industry Innovation Holding, and Rába Automotive Holding signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the production of Gidrán (Ejder Yalçın) 4X4 armored combat vehicles in Hungary. The agreement was signed in the presence of Hungarian Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky by the companies’ chairmen Engin Ufuk Aykol, Mehmet Atak, László Palkovics, and Bela Hetzman.
Speaking at a press conference following the signing of the document, Hungarian Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky stated that, in accordance with the memorandum of understanding, production of the Ejder Yalçın armored vehicles, which have previously been assembled only in Kaposvár (southwestern Hungary), will now be carried out at the Raba company’s facility in Győr (northwestern Hungary). According to the Minister of Defense, this joint venture, which includes research and innovation activities in addition to the production of Ejder Yalçın armored vehicles in Hungary, is a significant step forward for customers in the international market while also meeting the needs of the Hungarian Defense Forces. The Hungarian official further stated that, in addition to technical knowledge and technology transfer, this partnership will provide direct employment for more than 200 people and will involve a large domestic supplier network.
The Hungarian Ministry of Defense announced in December 2020 that under the Zrnyi 2026 Defense and Military Development Program, 300 4X4 armored multi-purpose combat vehicles would be purchased from Nurol Makina. In this context, on February 9, 2021, the first ten Ejder Yalçın vehicles were delivered to the György Klapka barracks in Tata, Hungary. The vehicles that were transferred to the 36th Division of the MH 25th György Klapka Infantry Brigade and were given the name “Gidrán” after an old Hungarian horse breed. During this process, Hungary bought 40 additional Ejder Yalçın vehicles from Turkey and received these armored vehicles in batches between 2022 and 2023. Based on the reports published in previous years, the Hungarian Defense Forces are expected to procure several hundred more Ejder Yalçıns in the coming days. As per the recently signed deal, Győr will be the production site for these armored vehicles that Hungary will be procuring.
This joint production agreement with Nurol Makina to bolster Hungary’s defense sector is just one component of the “Zrnyi 2026” initiative. In this regard, the Rheinmetall firm, based in Germany, recently constructed a large plant in the western city of Zalaegerszeg to develop and produce tracked vehicles, particularly the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle, for the Hungarian Defense Forces. Again, at the start of this year, Rheinmetall stated that it had won a contract for the establishment of a medium and large-caliber ammunition and explosives factory in Várpalota, Hungary, in response to Europe’s and NATO’s ammunition shortage. The groundbreaking ceremony for the 400-hectare area in the Defense Industrial Park in Várpalota took place in September as part of the project worth more than 800 million Euros. Many Memorandums of Understanding have also been signed in Hungary for the local production of pistols, submachine guns, and ammunition by firms such as the long-established Italian Beretta group of companies.