The Hungarian Ground Forces (, ) constitute the land branch of the

Hungarian Defence Forces The Hungarian Defence Forces (, ) is the national defence force of Hungary. Since 2007, the Hungarian Armed Forces has been under a unified command structure. The Ministry of Defence maintains political and civil control over the army. A subordi ...

, responsible for ground activities and troops, including

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

, tanks,

Armoured Personnel Carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

s (APCs),

Infantry Fighting Vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle and armoured personnel carrier used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct fire, direct-fire suppo ...

s (IFVs), and

ground support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as Strafing, strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS r ...

. The ground forces have a history of service in Iraq and are currently engaged in the

KFOR KFOR may refer to: * KFOR (AM), a radio station (1240 AM) licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, * KFOR-TV, a television station (channel 4 analog/27 digital) licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, * KFOR-TV (Nebraska), a defun ...

(Kosovo Force) operation. The predecessors of the Hungarian ground forces include the

Royal Hungarian Landwehr Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roya ...

, the

Royal Hungarian Army The Royal Hungarian Army (, ) was the name given to the land forces of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary in the period from 1922 to 1945. Its name was inherited from the Royal Hungarian Honvéd which went under the same Hu ...

, and the ground force components of the

Hungarian People's Army The Hungarian People's Army (, MN) or the HPA was the military of the Hungarian People's Republic and the armed branch of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party from 1951 to 1990. It only saw combat in a foreign country once during its existence ...

. During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, Hungary was aligned with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and was a member of the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

. However, following the

fall of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of Nationalities, Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. :s: ...

in 1991, Hungary significantly reduced the number of tanks and troops and closed several garrisons. The Hungarian Army now focuses on national security, peacekeeping, and international conflicts. Notably, Hungary became a member of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

in 1999.

History

In 1963, the Ground Forces of Hungary comprised the 5th Army, established in 1961 at

Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...

. This formation included the 7th Motor Rifle Division in

Kiskunfélegyháza Kiskunfélegyháza () is a city in Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary. Geography Kiskunfélegyháza is located in the middle of the Great Hungarian Plain, southeast from Budapest. M5 motorway, Highway 5, 451, Budapest–Cegléd–Szeged railway line ...

, the 8th Motor Rifle Division in

Zalaegerszeg Zalaegerszeg (; ; ; ) is the administrative center of Zala County, Zala county in western Hungary. Location Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the Zala River, close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders, and west-southwest of Budapest by road. Hi ...

, the 9th Motor Rifle Division in

Kaposvár Kaposvár (; also known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in southwestern Hungary, south of Lake Balaton. It is one of the leading cities of Transdanubia, the capital of Somogy County, and the seat of the Kaposvár District and th ...

, and the 11th Tank Division in Tata. Additionally, the 34th Special Reconnaissance Battalion in Székesfehérvár operated as a sub-unit of the 5th Army. Another significant combat formation was the 3rd Army Corps in

Cegléd Cegléd (; ) is a city in Pest County, Pest county, Hungary, approximately southeast of the Hungarian capital, Budapest. Name The name of the town is of disputed origin. The name may be derived from the word "szeglet" (meaning "corner") due to i ...

, which comprised the 4th Motor Rifle Division in

Gyöngyös Gyöngyös is a town in Heves County, Hungary, beside of the Gyöngyös creek, under the Mátra mountain ranges. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 27,957 (see Demographics). The town is located 8.4 km from the M3 motorway and 80.8 km ...

and the 15th Motor Rifle Division in

Nyíregyháza Nyíregyháza (, ) is a city with county rights in northeastern Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. With a population of 118,001, it is the seventh-largest city in Hungary and the second largest in the Northern Great ...

. According to Michael Holm, the 3rd Army Corps stationed at Cegléd, designated as

Military Unit Number A Military Unit Number (Russian: войсковая часть, в/ ч; Ukrainian: військова частина, в/ ч) is a numeric alternate designation for military units in the armed forces and internal troops of post-Soviet ...

6639, was established on 1 November 1966. It maintained the same organizational structure in 1970 and 1980. However, by 1988, it underwent restructuring, now comprising four mechanized infantry brigades, one tank brigade, one artillery brigade, and three artillery regiments (AA Missile, Anti-Aircraft Artillery, and Anti-Tank Artillery), alongside other smaller units. Following the dissolution of the

in 1991, both the 5th Army and the 3rd Mechanized Corps were disbanded. The Hungarian Defense Forces inherited the assets and personnel of the Hungarian People's Army. However, owing to the altered geopolitical landscape and economic constraints, the Army underwent substantial force reduction and asset adjustments. After Hungary's accession to NATO, the procurement of newer and more modern multi-purpose equipment began. This included various vehicles, communication equipment, unmanned aerial vehicles, and the modernization of existing assets such as radar locators and anti-aircraft missile complexes. However, the lack of resources in the armed forces limited significant improvements until the mid-2010s. In 2021, the Hungarian Ground Forces completed their mission in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and announced the conclusion of evacuations on August 26, 2021. Airlift operations successfully evacuated 540 people, including Hungarian citizens, Afghans, and their families who had previously worked for Hungarian forces. Before the withdrawal, the number of Hungarian troops present in Afghanistan had already been reduced to ten.

Structure

As of January 2025, the primary formations of the Hungarian Ground Forces are: * Joint Forces Operations Command, in

** 1st Armored Brigade "

György Klapka György (Móric) Klapka (; 7 April 182017 May 1892) was a Hungarian general. He was one of the most important Hungarian generals of the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848–1849, politician, member of the National Assembly (Hungary), Hungaria ...

", in Tata *** Command and Signals Company, in Tata *** 1st Rifle Battalion, in Tata; with

BTR-80 The BTR-80 () is an 8×8 wheeled Amphibious vehicle, amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the Soviet Union. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous vehicles, the BTR-60 and BTR-70, in the Soviet Army. It was first de ...

armored personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

s (being replaced by KF41 Lynx

infantry fighting vehicles An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle and armoured personnel carrier used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct fire, direct-fire suppo ...

) *** 2nd Rifle Battalion, in

; with BTR-80 armored personnel carriers (being replaced by KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles) *** 11th Tank Battalion "Ervin Tarczay", in Tata; with Leopard 2A7+

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...

s *** 36th Anti-tank Missile Battalion, in Tata; with Gidrán vehicles and Spike LR2

anti-tank guided missile An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulde ...

s *** 1st Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion "József Barankay", in Tata; with

Panzerhaubitze 2000 The Panzerhaubitze 2000 (), meaning "armoured howitzer 2000" and abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by KNDS Deutschland (formerly Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW)) and Rheinmetall in the 1980s and 1990s for t ...

155 mm

self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

s *** Logistics Battalion, in Tata ** 11th Armored Hajduk Brigade "

István Bocskai Stephen Bocskai or Bocskay (, ; 1 January 155729 December 1606) was Prince of Transylvania and Hungary from 1605 to 1606. He was born to a Hungarian nobility, Hungarian noble family. His father's estates were located in the Eastern Hungarian Kin ...

", in

Debrecen Debrecen ( ; ; ; ) is Hungary's cities of Hungary, second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain Regions of Hungary, region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the large ...

*** Command and Signals Company, in Debrecen *** 39th Rifle Battalion, in Debrecen; with

armored personnel carriers (being replaced by Gidrán vehicles) *** (A second rifle battalion will be formed) *** Logistics Battalion, in Debrecen *** Combat Support Engineer Company, in Debrecen ** 30th Armored Infantry Brigade "

Pál Kinizsi Pál Kinizsi ({{langx, la, Paulus de Kenezy; {{langx, ro, Paul Chinezu; 1432–1494) was a Hungarian general in the service of Hungarian army under king Matthias Corvinus. He was the Count of Temes County (in the historical Banat region, in the ...

", in

Hódmezővásárhely Hódmezővásárhely (; also known by other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, on the Great Hungarian Plain, at the meeting point of the Békés-Csanádi Ridge and the clay grassland surrounding the river Tisz ...

*** Command and Signals Company, in Hódmezővásárhely *** 3rd Rifle Battalion "Miklós Bercsényi", in Hódmezővásárhely; with KF41 Lynx

*** 62nd Rifle Battalion, in Hódmezővásárhely; with

s (being replaced by KF41 Lynx

) *** Logistics Battalion, in Hódmezővásárhely ** 1st Explosive Ordnance Disposal and River Flotilla Regiment "Honvéd", at

Újpest Újpest (; , ) is the 4th District in Budapest, Hungary. It is located on the left bank of the Danube River. The name Újpest means "New Pest" because the city was formed on the border of the city of Pest, Hungary in 1838. Újpest was a village ...

military port in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

*** Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Minesweeper Battalion *** 1st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company *** 2nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company *** River Flotilla *** Logistics Company ** 2nd Reconnaissance Regiment "

Gergely Bornemissza Gergely Bornemissza (1526, Pécs – 1555, Constantinople) was a Hungarian soldier and national hero. Not much is known of his early life, although he is known to have been married twice. He is believed to have been an educated man, and a L ...

", in Debrecen *** Command and Signals Company, in Debrecen *** Reconnaissance Company, in Debrecen ***

Long-range Reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

Company, in Debrecen *** Tactical Intelligence (HUMINT) Company, in Debrecen *** Electronic Warfare Company, in Debrecen ***

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...

s Company, in Debrecen *** Logistics Company, in Debrecen ** 14th Engineer Regiment " Ferenc Rákóczi II", in

Szentes Szentes () is a town in south-eastern Hungary, Csongrád-Csanád County, Csongrád county, near the Tisza, Tisza river. The town is a cultural and educational center of the region. It is the third most populous town in Csongrád-Csanád County, Cso ...

*** Command Support Company, in Szentes *** Operational Support Engineer Battalion, in Szentes *** Bridge Building Battalion, in Szentes *** Technical Support Battalion, in Szentes *** Logistics Company, in Szentes ** 102nd Chemical Warfare Regiment "László Sodró", in

*** Command Support Platoon *** CBRN-Defence Battalion *** CBRN-Defence Company *** CBRN-Support Company *** Disaster Management Department *** Operational Evaluation Department *** Hungarian Defence Forces Laboratory *** Chemical Safety Information Center

Equipment

Ranks and insignia

Citations

References

* {{Allied Land Command Military of Hungary