Rheinmetall is modernising 27 more BOXER Command Vehicles for the Bundeswehr. This will bring them up to the latest A2 standard, with the contract having been awarded at the end of January 2021. The 27 vehicles are to undergo modernisation at the Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH plant in Kassel, Rheinmetall’s centre of excellence for tactical wheeled vehicles. Work is set to begin in March 2021, with a return of the vehicles to the Bundeswehr slated to take place during the 2022-2024 timeframe. The order is worth a figure in the lower two-digit million-euro range.
The Command Vehicle, or FüFz in German military parlance, is one of four variants of the tried-and-tested, high-mobility BOXER armoured transport vehicle currently in service with the Bundeswehr. The FüFz is found in mechanised formations, where it serves as a mobile tactical operations centre (or command post). The vehicles feature a full panoply of radio equipment and advanced C4I systems.
The upgrade to A2 status encompasses an extensive array of modernisation measures, including:
- the driver’s visualisation system
- the exhaust emission
- air-conditioning ducts
- the towing gear
- the driver’s station
- headlight technology
- software and system security modifications
In addition, the vehicle’s satellite communications capability, voice and data transmission, alongside IT equipment, will all be improved.
The latest order follows the modernisation to A2 status of the first lot of 38 BOXER Command Vehicles that commenced in 2017. The current combat performance upgrade of the second lot will ensure that the Bundeswehr’s entire fleet of 65 BOXER Command Vehicles reflects the latest tactical and technical state of the art.
Jack Richardson
