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Hungary Practices River Crossings in NATO Exercise After Simulated Bridge Destruction.
Hungarian forces executed a wet-gap crossing on the Tisza River near Martfű–Vezseny on Oct. 2 during the multinational Adaptive Hussars 2025 exercise. The drill tests NATO mobility if fixed bridges are destroyed, critical for rapid reinforcement across Central Europe’s river networks.
On 2 October 2025, in the Martfű–Vezseny sector of the Tisza River, Hungarian forces executed a complex wet-gap crossing during the multinational Adaptive Hussars 2025 exercise, as reported by the Hungarian MoD. Conducted under a scenario in which the enemy had destroyed established crossing points, the event combined modern armored vehicles, combat engineers, air defense and riverine assets, and an unusual cavalry-reconnaissance contribution from the Nádasdy hussars. The demonstration drew attention because wet-gap crossings remain among the most hazardous combined-arms maneuvers in contemporary warfare. It is relevant to NATO’s Central European posture, where large rivers and dense infrastructure make assured mobility a decisive factor for reinforcement and deterrence.
Hungary is hardening its assured-mobility playbook for the worst-case opening moves of a regional crisis; it is integrating the Lynx IFV into the most demanding phase of combined-arms maneuver; it is pairing heritage cavalry reconnaissance with contemporary drones to improve survivability at the crossing point; and it is doing so alongside a NATO partner operating different generations of equipment (Picture source: Hungarian MoD)
The training hinged on the rapid establishment of a temporary crossing site by the MH II. Rákóczi Ferenc 14th Engineer Regiment after simulated demolitions rendered permanent bridges unusable. Hungarian Lynx infantry fighting vehicles were among the first to exploit the new crossing, joined by a Turkish maneuver element operating M113 armored personnel carriers. The mixed column underscored two points central to current alliance operations: the need to move heavy, digitally networked platforms across water obstacles under time pressure, and the parallel requirement to integrate legacy vehicles that continue to equip partners and allies. Because such crossings are prime targets for artillery, loitering munitions, and electronic attack, the Hungarian forces overlaid the engineer effort with layered airspace security, air defense coverage, and air support, while patrol craft provided river security along the flanks and approaches.
The presence of the Lynx IFV was operationally significant. Designed as a modular, highly protected infantry fighting vehicle with a digital backbone, a stabilized turreted cannon and provision for anti-tank guided missiles, the Lynx gives mechanized infantry the mix of protection, sensors and firepower needed to seize and hold bridgeheads on the far bank. In a contested crossing, its mobility and survivability help compress the most vulnerable phase of the operation, the buildup on the near bank and the initial roll-on across engineer bridging. The vehicle’s open electronic architecture also facilitates integration with drones, counter-UAS suites and battle-management systems that are now essential to identifying threats to the bridging point and prioritizing fires. For the Hungarian Army, fielding Lynx within a bridging scenario validates the vehicle’s role not only as a troop carrier and direct-fire platform but as a node in a larger, time-critical combined-arms drill.
A distinctive feature of the event was the employment of the Count Ferenc Nádasdy hussar detachment for forward reconnaissance. Exploiting the off-road mobility of horses to reach concealed vantage points, hussar scouts, teamed with drone operators, established hidden observation posts, then streamed real-time video and contact reports back to the crossing-control headquarters. This pairing of tradition and technology served a practical military purpose: mounted elements can infiltrate soft ground and treelines without the acoustic and thermal signatures of vehicles, while drones extend the observers’ horizon. Against an enemy expected to strike bridges and their approaches, such hybrid reconnaissance shortens the sensor-to-shooter loop and reduces the window of vulnerability for engineer units working in the open.
The exercise also reflected institutional learning. Hungarian officials characterized the crossing as a rigorous test of “wet-gap” procedures, an operation that recent conflicts have shown to be unforgiving when attempted without air defense, counter-battery, deception and disciplined movement control. By staging the drill after declaring the main crossings destroyed, the Hungarian planners recreated the kind of operational shock allies might face in the early hours of a high-intensity contingency, when bridges are pre-targeted and communications are contested. Practicing the rapid nomination of alternate sites, the sequencing of units, the establishment of traffic circuits and the protection of the bridgehead contributes to a playbook designed to keep combat power flowing even when infrastructure is degraded.
Strategically, the Tisza crossing carries geostrategic and military implications beyond the immediate training value. Geographically, Central Europe is defined by rivers, the Danube, Tisza and their tributaries, that segment maneuver corridors and can slow reinforcement if not deliberately prepared for. Demonstrating the ability to reestablish mobility after deliberate demolitions strengthens deterrence by signaling that alliance forces will not be canalized or immobilized by infrastructure strikes. Politically and operationally, the participation of a Turkish maneuver unit added an interoperability dimension, aligning procedures, communications and safety protocols between a frontline Central European host and a key southern ally. Militarily, the rehearsal validated the Hungarian Army’s ability to synchronize engineer bridging under protective umbrellas with the swift projection of mechanized combat power onto the far bank, a core requirement for defending river-laced terrain and for enabling follow-on forces.
The Hungarian MoD framed the event as both a capability demonstration and a feedback loop for force development, emphasizing the “ethos” guiding soldiers and the need to internalize lessons at scale. Hungary is hardening its assured-mobility playbook for the worst-case opening moves of a regional crisis; it is integrating the Lynx IFV into the most demanding phase of combined-arms maneuver; it is pairing heritage cavalry reconnaissance with contemporary drones to improve survivability at the crossing point; and it is doing so alongside a NATO partner operating different generations of equipment. The message is that when bridges fall, forces that have rehearsed contested crossings, engineers, armor, air defense and scouts operating as a single system, retain the initiative on riverine terrain.
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.