Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky has announced that eligible servicemen will receive a weapons bonus equal to six months’ salary on Friday, the last working day of January. The last—and until now, only—time the Hungarian government paid a weapons bonus was in February 2022, two months before the general election. Weapons bonus for military personnel tomorrowUnder a government decision, 80,000 armed forces personnel—including soldiers—will benefit from the payment in 2026, the Hungarian News Agency wrote. According to the minister, the support amounts to more than a one-off financial boost; it bolsters society’s esteem for military service. According to calculations by G7.hu, Hungary’s ‘weapons bonus’ will cost the state budget HUF 432-456 billion (€1.1-1.2 billion) amid the country’s grave economic crisis.