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Hungary and Slovakia Join Czech and Polish Forces for Advanced NATO Tank and Artillery Drill.
Slovak and Hungarian armored units wrapped up an intensive live fire phase of Exercise Breakthrough 2025 at Hungary’s 0 Point Central Shooting Range. The event underscores how Visegrád Four partners are sharpening combined combat skills at a time of heightened security pressure along NATO’s eastern flank.
On 19 November 2025, Slovak and Hungarian armored units completed an intensive live-fire phase of Exercise Breakthrough 2025 at the “0 Point” Central Shooting Range in Hungary, as reported by the Hungarian MoD. Conducted under the umbrella of the Visegrád Four (V4) cooperation, the exercise translates political alignment between Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland into tangible combat readiness at NATO’s eastern flank. Against the backdrop of the Russo-Ukrainian war and persistent instability in the Balkans, the training puts emphasis on tank and artillery integration under a common command structure. For frontline NATO members, the ability to field mixed national units that can shoot, move and communicate together is increasingly becoming a key element of credible deterrence for Central Europe.
By bringing Hungarian Leopard 2A4/2A7HU tanks, Slovak tanks, modern 8x8 armored vehicles and both nations’ 155 mm self-propelled howitzers onto the same firing line, Exercise Breakthrough 2025 turns the V4’s political will into observable combat capability (Picture Source: Hungarian MoD)
Within Breakthrough 2025, the core armored component is a multinational tank battalion battlegroup built around Hungarian Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A7HU main battle tanks, reinforced by a Slovak tank platoon operating similar Western-standard platforms. Hungarian crews used both the older 2A4HU, acquired primarily for training, and the newer 2A7HU, which represents the centerpiece of Budapest’s heavy brigade modernization with its 120 mm L55 gun, upgraded armor package and digital fire-control suite. The images from the firing range show mixed formations of camouflaged Leopard tanks advancing and engaging targets in sequence, with Hungarian and Slovak vehicles occupying common firing lines and exchanging data through NATO-compatible communications systems. This configuration allows the battlegroup to rehearse the full cycle of a combined tank attack: coordinated movement, rapid engagement of multiple targets and immediate re-tasking under a single operational command.
The live-fire phase also brought into play the artillery and wheeled combat elements that give Breakthrough 2025 its true combined-arms character. Hungarian Panzerhaubitze 2000 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzers delivered long-range indirect fire, exploiting their high rate of fire and 52-calibre gun to simulate deep strikes and counter-battery missions in support of the tank battalion. On the Slovak side, Zuzana 2 155mm 52 caliber SPH self-propelled howitzers, mounted on an 8x8 chassis and equipped with an automated loading system, provided highly mobile fire support and demonstrated their ability to rapidly shift position after firing. Complementing these systems, 8x8 wheeled armored fighting vehicles, representative of the new generation of Slovak BOV 8x8 Patria-family combat vehicles, operated alongside the tanks as reconnaissance and fire-support platforms, using their medium-calibre guns to engage lighter targets and protect the flanks of the heavier Leopards. All of these vehicles, clearly visible in the imagery from “0 Point”, took part in the exercise, illustrating how tracked tanks, wheeled infantry fighting vehicles and modern artillery can be meshed into a single, manoeuvrable firepower package.
From a training perspective, the advantages of this configuration are significant. Crews practice not only the technical handling of their own platforms but also the synchronization of direct and indirect fires across national boundaries: tanks cue artillery onto distant targets; howitzers shape the battlefield ahead of armored thrusts; wheeled vehicles screen and relay target data in real time. The multinational battlegroup tests common procedures for ammunition resupply, casualty evacuation and command-and-control, while the presence of V4 observers and delegations links these tactical drills to broader cooperation in logistics, training and emerging technologies such as XR/VR simulation. Lessons drawn from Breakthrough 2025 will feed into more complex live-fire events involving air-support, further tightening the integration between land and air components in Central European defence planning.
Strategically, Breakthrough 2025 sends a clear signal that the V4 partners are determined to move beyond declarations and build real shared capabilities that can be plugged directly into NATO’s deterrence posture. Geopolitically, it underlines the emergence of a more cohesive Central European defence space, where Hungarian Leopard battalions, Slovak artillery units and Czech and Polish staffs are trained to operate as a single force package in the event of a crisis on the Alliance’s eastern or south-eastern flanks. Geostrategically, the exercise contributes to creating a continuous belt of interoperable armoured and artillery forces from the Baltic to the Balkans, complicating any potential aggressor’s planning and reinforcing the credibility of Article 5. Militarily, it accelerates the transition from Soviet-era platforms to modern Western systems and embeds these assets in a doctrine built on joint, multinational operations rather than purely national contingents.
By bringing Hungarian Leopard 2A4/2A7HU tanks, Slovak tanks, modern 8x8 armored vehicles and both nations’ 155 mm self-propelled howitzers onto the same firing line, Exercise Breakthrough 2025 turns the V4’s political will into observable combat capability. The images of mixed Slovak-Hungarian formations firing in unison at “0 Point” capture more than a training event: they show that Central European allies are preparing to defend every kilometre of NATO territory together, with interoperable heavy forces that are trained, equipped and ready to act as one.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.