The countdown to the delivery of the first BOXER Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) for the British Army is entering the decisive phase. This comes after Rheinmetall announced that welding work for prototype production and the start of series production has begun on schedule at the company’s Centre of Excellence for tactical wheeled vehicles in Kassel. Since the order was placed at the end of 2019, the four variants of the 8×8 combat vehicle have been developed. Thanks to the modular design, it was possible to integrate qualified solutions as required so now that the development milestones have been reached, production of the first parts can begin.
ARTEC, the consortium of Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) responsible for the development and production of the BOXER, has commissioned Rheinmetall to manufacture the first prototypes. This will involve the installation of components already manufactured in the UK, such as:
- weapon stations
- components of the Generic Vehicle Architecture
- the local situational awareness system
- the vehicle emergency lighting system.
Overall, the two consortium partners are equally involved in the production.
After the start of series production in Germany, the majority of production services will be provided in the UK during the further course of production from 2023. The main production sites will be run by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) and KMW subsidiary WFEL. The Rheinmetall site in Kassel is actively transferring know-how to its British colleagues at RBSL with regard to welding skills. In total, the British Army is procuring more than 500 BOXER vehicles across the troop carrier, command vehicle, medical vehicle and specialist carrier for around €2.6Bn. Delivery of the 8×8 armoured vehicles is expected to begin at the end of 2022 with the majority of BOXER vehicles for the British Army to be manufactured in the UK.
Gerhard Heiming
