A production facility for the Lynx KF41 armored personnel carrier is to be built in Moldava nad Bodvou in eastern Slovakia near the Hungarian border, in which other combat vehicles can also be repaired. The prerequisite for this is that Slovakia commissions Rheinmetall to supply the Lynx KF41. Rheinmetall announced details of the plans at a press conference on Thursday. A production area of 12,000 m² and a test area of 15,000 m² are to be built for 30 million euros.
The plant is said to be the center of a widespread Slovakian partner network of Rheinmetall that extends across the entire country, as Rheinmetall writes. Together with the partners, chassis and turrets for the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle are to be manufactured, system integration carried out and acceptance tests carried out. The production is to be carried out by the Rheinmetall joint venture with the DMD Group, which is also intended to ensure the involvement of important partners in the Slovak defense industry, so that the Slovak Republic can achieve maximum economic benefit with reduced risk.
The first main task of the plant will be the production of 152 Lynx KF41 armored personnel carriers for the Slovakian army. The Slovak Ministry of Defense intends to replace the outdated Soviet-era BVP-2 fleet for €1.7 billion. At the beginning of the year, Rheinmetall, together with the Hungarian government and two other suppliers, submitted offers for the project, which is planned as government business, and a decision is to be made on this shortly. If awarded, Rheinmetall plans to reinvest half of the sum in Slovakia's economy, with the new plant taking on responsibility for supplying 80 percent of the Slovakian armed forces' infantry fighting vehicle fleet.
"This is just the beginning," said Oliver Mittelsdorf, Executive Vice President Sales Tactical Vehicles. "The Lynx is proving to be a winner in global defense markets, and the Moldava nad Bodvou plant will offer many more opportunities for job creation as orders for the Lynx and other products come in."
Rheinmetall plans to hire and train 150 local workers in 2023 and 2024 so that production can start in 2025. The jobs are primarily qualified activities in the field of mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.
Editors / gwh
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