It is reliably known that Ukraine has received only one of Rheinmetall's latest KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles for testing and evaluation, but a number of Ukrainian media outlets claim that there are ten vehicles.
It should be noted that the difference lies not just in quantity, but in the fact that if Ukraine received a dozen KF41 Lynx for testing purposes alone, it would be a clear marker of a significant increase in the production rate of these vehicles. Moreover, Rheinmetall declared that it would produce them in Ukraine, with plans to commission the first one in 2024.
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At the same time, it is very important to find the original source. Most Ukrainian media cite German Aid to Ukraine account on X as the source of this information. Some of them clarify that it was referring to the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which published an interview with Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger. On behalf of Defense Express, we report that only one KF41 Lynx IFV is currently being tested by the Ukrainian military.
However, German Aid to Ukraine later published a post, citing its own source at Rheinmetall, stating that the financing for the delivery of 10 KF41 Lynx IFVs is not from the company itself, but from the government, either German or Ukrainian.
However, the new post became a reason for a number of other media outlets to report on Ukraine's receipt of 10 newest German infantry fighting vehicles.
It was a batch of ten Lynx IFVs that Armin Papperger announced in an interview as the plan for the first stage of deliveries, without specifying the time required for production and delivery. At the same time, Rheinmetall estimated that Ukraine needs 3,000 such vehicles.
It should also be noted that it is unlikely for Ukraine to receive a dozen of these infantry fighting vehicles at once. The fact is that their actual production rate is quite limited. Currently, these vehicles are being assembled only for Hungary as part of the 2020 contract for the supply of 219 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles, valued at 2 billion euros.
46 of them are to be assembled in Germany, and the first one was handed over only in October 2022. A total of 173 vehicles are to be assembled in Hungary, with the first one scheduled to be assembled at the Zalaegerszeg plant by the end of 2023. In the summer of 2024, the first batch of two units was delivered. Since 2020, Hungary has received approximately 10, possibly up to 15 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles.
Earlier Defense Express reported that Germany will enhance Ukrainian Armed Forces with 6 IRIS-T air defense systems and first RCH-155 self-propelled howitzers, exceeding initial numbers.
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