Rheinmetall to Manufacture Main Armament, Hulls for Hungary’s Self-Propelled Howitzers & Battle Tanks

Rheinmetall has won a €300 million ($328 milion) contract to manufacture main armament and hulls for PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer and Leopard 2 main battle tank belonging to the Hungarian Army.

Under the agreement, the company will produce the main armament and fire control technology for 44 Leopard 2 main battle tanks as well as the main armament, fire control technology and chassis for 24 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers. The package also encompasses thirteen HX and TGS logistic trucks. Delivery begins in 2021 and will be completed in 2025, the company said in a statement Monday.

Rheinmetall has partnered with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to carry out the project. In December 2018 KMW won an order from the Hungarian armed forces for 44 new Leopard 2A7+ tanks and 24 new PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers.

As well as having design authority, Rheinmetall is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the 120mm smoothbore technology used in all versions of the Leopard 2 tank. The same is true of the 155mm L52 main gun of the PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer. The higher-pressure 120mm L55A1 gun earmarked for the Leopard 2A7+ qualified at the end of 2017. The tank gun is capable of firing the programmable DM11 multipurpose round. The company has developed the chassis of the PzH self-propelled howitzer.