Developed from the successful 43M Zrínyi II, it was armed with a long 75 mm gun that was more suited to anti-tank warfare.

The Zrínyi series of military vehicles was named after Nikola IV Zrinski, a Hungarian national hero who died in 1566.

Initially the Hungarians wished to either purchase German assault guns outright, or to acquire the production licenses.

[1] In late 1943 the Military Technology Institute of the Hungarian Army considered mounting the German 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 on the Zrínyi hull.

The rockets had a practical range of seven kilometers, and the idea was for them to be used to destroy Soviet anti-tank gun positions before the Zrínyi would be in danger.