Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle) Information

The Boxer is a multirole armoured fighting vehicle designed by an international consortium to accomplish a number of operations through the use of installable mission modules. The nations participating in the Boxer program have changed as the program has developed. The Boxer vehicle is produced by the ARTEC GmbH (armoured vehicle technology) industrial group, and the programme is being managed by OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation). ARTEC GmbH is based in Munich; its parent companies are Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH and Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV) on the German side, and Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Nederland B.V. for the Netherlands. Overall, Rheinmetall has a 64% stake in the joint venture.

A distinctive and unique feature of the vehicle is its composition of a drive platform module and interchangeable mission modules which allow several configurations to meet different operational requirements.

Other names in use or previously used are GTK (gepanzertes Transport-Kraftfahrzeug; armoured transport vehicle) Boxer and MRAV (multirole armoured vehicle).

With exceptions for style and ease of reading, the following production history is presented in as near-chronological order as possible.

The Boxer is a cooperative European design project, the initial aim of which was to develop the next generation of armoured utility vehicle. The project was originally started as a joint venture between Germany, Britain and France. France left the programme in 1999 and pursued its own design, the Véhicule Blindé de Combat dInfanterie (VBCI).

Following negotiations, a contract was awarded in November 1999 for eight prototype vehicles, four for Germany and four for the UK. Total value of this contract was £70 million. In February 2001, the Netherlands joined the programme and 12 prototypes were built, four for each of the three countries. On 12 December 2002 the GTK/MRAV/PWV was unveiled in Munich, Germany. The second prototype (PT2) was rolled out and the vehicle was named Boxer. At this time the first production run was to have been for 600 vehicles, 200 for each country.

In July 2003, shortly after the start of the Iraq War, the UK Ministry of Defence announced its intention to withdraw from the Boxer programme and focus on the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES). In October 2003, the first Dutch prototype was delivered.

The Netherlands confirmed in the autumn of 2006 the procurement of 200 Boxers, these to replace the M577 and the support variants of the YPR-765 in the Royal Netherlands Army. Deliveries were scheduled to run from 2013 through to 2018, with vehicles coming from the Netherlands production line. Within the RNLA the baseline Boxer is called the Pantserwielvoertuig (PWV). Also in 2006, on 13 December the German parliament approved the procurement of 272 Boxers for the German Army, to replace some of its M113 and Fuchs TPz 1 vehicles.

Production deliveries of Boxer had been scheduled to commence in 2004, but numerous design changes combined with political problems delayed production until 2008, and the first production example was handed over to the German Army on 24 September 2009. Prior to deliveries commencing, the 12 prototypes were put through a series of reliability trials (over 90,000 km) and durability trials (over 90,000 km) over a seven-year period. There are three production/assembly lines for Boxer, one in the Netherlands (Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Netherland) and two in Germany (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles).

By September 2011, six German Army Boxers had been upgraded to the Boxer A1 standard. From German Army Boxer No 41 all vehicles have been produced to the A1 standard.

In December 2015 it was announced that Germany had placed a contract for an additional 131 Boxers worth EUR476 million.

In August 2016 Lithuania placed a EUR390 million contract for 88 Boxers, most of these in IFV configuration, and a small quantity in the command post role. Lithuanian Boxers will be manufactured by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (53) and Rheinmetall (35) with deliveries running from 2017 through to 2021. In Lithuanian service, Boxer will be known as Vilkas (Wolf). The first two vehicles (driver training configuration) were delivered in December 2017.

In June 2017 it was announced that the Bundeswehrs Boxer A1 fleet will be upgraded to A2 standard. Original Boxer deliveries were (from vehicle 41) in A1 configuration, with the first A2 configured Boxer delivered in June 2015. The A2 standard resulted from operations in Afghanistan and incorporates belly armour, an IED jammer, and 76 mm smoke grenade launchers. According to the June 2017 announcement "The A2 standard includes a fire suppression system, a driver vision system (consisting of an externally-mounted camera to enhance situational awareness), a satellite communications system, plus increased ballistic protection."

On 4 July 2017 ARTEC awarded Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) a contract to upgrade 38 Bundeswehr Boxer command vehicles to A2 configuration. The value of the contract was stated to be €21 million. Work is scheduled for completion in mid 2020. The Bundeswehr also has 124 Boxer APCs, 72 ambulances and twelve driver training vehicles to upgrade to A2 status.

In February 2018 it was announced that Slovenia had selected the Boxer as the basis for two new mechanised infantry battle groups. Confirmation of a final proposal schedule for the procurement, which will be via OCCAR, was originally scheduled for September 2018. In November it was revealed that pricing issues had impacted the Slovenian timeline and that a new proposal from industry was pending. According to the Slovenian MoDs initial release on the subject, funding had been allocated for the procurement of 48 vehicles in 2018-20 for the first battle group, which was expected to become operational by 2022, followed by the second in 2025. The desired total is reported to be 112 Boxer (96 IFV, 16 mortar) plus a small number of driver training vehciles.

On 13 March 2018 it was announced that Rheinmetall Defense Australia (RDA) had been selected as the preferred tenderer for the Australian Armys Land 400 Phase 2 programme. Previously, on 28 July 2016 it was announced that the Boxer IFV variant was one of two vehicle types (from four) down-selected to take part in the 12-month Risk Mitigation Activity for Land 400 Phase 2. At the contract negotiation stage RDA would deliver at least 211 Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) to the Australian Army, with a roll out of initial vehicles stated at this time by 2021. In Australian service the Boxer will replace the armys ageing fleet of 257 Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV) that reach their life-of-type around 2021. Under the companys offering to Australia, the first batch of 20 to 25 vehicles will be built in Germany in a move Rheinmetall says will support the transfer of technology. Australians will be embedded into teams in Germany to learn the necessary skills before transferring back to Australia for the build of the remaining CRVs. RDAs CRV build programme will focus on the development of a proposed Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in Brisbane, Queensland, which will be the hub for the production of the majority of the vehicles. The local build programme will include about 40 local suppliers that include the Bisalloy Steel Group, which will supply the Boxers armoured steel, NIOA (ammunition and armament services), Tectonica (the vehicles local situational awareness system), Supacat Australia (development and certification), Cablex (wiring and cables), GandO Kert, Hilton Manufacturing, Direct Edge and Plasteel (metal manufacturing and machining services), Hoffman Engineering (lighting and display components), Huber and Suhner (electronics components), Nezkot Precision Tooling and Engineering (turret assembly and testing), and Redarc (electronics). These industrial opportunities will create up to 1,450 jobs across Australia, with Boxer deliveries scheduled to be complete by 2026. The acquisition and sustainment of the CRVs is costed at AUD15.7 billion (US$12.2 billion). The acquisition is worth AUD5.2 billion, with the remaining AUD10.5 billion costed for sustainment over the vehicles 30-year life.

On 31 March 2018 it was announced by the UK government that it was re-joining the Boxer programme. On 3 April 2018 this was followed by the announcement that Boxer had been selected by the British Army to meet its Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) requirement. It was first reported in October 2016 that the British Ministry of Defence had taken its first formal step, a preliminary market engagement, towards government-to-government acquisition of Boxer. At DSEI 2017, a Boxer in a Union Jack paint scheme was shown by Rheinmetall to promote the vehicle for the MIV requirement. In November 2017, a company of German army mechanised infantry equipped with 11 Boxers exercised for the first time with British Army units on Salisbury Plain. British Army sources denied that the training exercise was linked to any decision on a procurement process for its MIV project. On 4 February 2018 it was reported that Artec had signed agreements with UK suppliers including BAE Systems, Thales UK and Pearson Engineering, this contributing to the fact that 60% by value of the contract will be done in Britain, along with final assembly of the MIVs at facilities already owned by the consortium. The 3 April announcement of Boxers selection for MIV included no details relating to quantity, cost, timeline or any contractual status.

In July 2018 there were three Boxer-related announcements made over a period of three days. On 17 July the Dutch MoD announced that the last Dutch Boxer had rolled off the production line, this being a cargo variant. On 18 July the Lithuanian MoD announced that the countrys first two Boxer prototypes had entered trials in Germany. On 19 July 2018 via a Voluntary ex ante transparency notice the UK MoD disclosed its intent to order between 400 and 600 Boxers in four variants plus driver training vehicles, reference vehicles and support. The contract will contain options to increase the quantity of vehicles by up to an additional 900.

On 19 September 2018, UK Defence Minister Stuart Andrew announced that Artec had been given the go-ahead to invite industry to bring forward actual contractible proposals for work on Boxer, allowing Artec to complete their supplier selection process before returning to the MOD with a formal proposal next year. Figures remain as over 500 and with the first vehicles to be in-service by 2023.

On 29 March 2019 the Australian Ambassador to Germany inspected the first Boxer being delivered to the Australian Government under the LAND 400 Phase 2 program prior to its shipping to Australia.

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