The shareholders of ARTEC GmbH – Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Rheinmetall Landsysteme and Rheinmetall Defence Nederland – have elected to set up a new subsidiary in the United Kingdom known as ARTEC Boxer UK Ltd, Rheinmetall announced on 4 October 2023.
The company will be a wholly owned subsidiary of ARTEC GmbH and assume responsibility for its operational activities in the UK. These primarily involve providing the British Army with service and maintenance support for the Boxer 8×8 multi-role armoured vehicle (MRAV), but the company will pursue export orders for the vehicle. Its operational goals include growing its market share in the UK service sector as well as gaining ground in the global market for highly protected 8×8 vehicles.
The agreement to create ARTEC Boxer UK Ltd was signed during the DSEI 2023 defence show in London in September.
After initially withdrawing from the Boxer programme in July 2003, the UK announced in April 2018 that it would rejoin to deliver the British Army’s Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) programme. An initial 523 Boxers were ordered by the UK in November 2019, with an additional 100 ordered in April 2022.
The first Boxers for the British Army were delivered for trials in July this year.