A contract worth £2.8 billion was signed on 4 November 2019 between ARTEC and OCCAR to deliver 623 Boxer armoured vehicles to the British Army that will form part of its Armoured Brigade Combat Teams (ABCT) in the early 2030s.
ARTEC, a joint venture between KMW, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles and Rheinmetall Military Vehicles Nederland, designed Boxer to meet the requirements of the German and Dutch armies for a highly protected armoured personnel carrier (APC). A 530kW multi-fuel engine powers the 33-ton 8×8, with a top speed of 103km/hr. Its modular construction allows a range of mission-specific variants. Initially, the British Army will buy a troop-carrying variant, an ambulance, a command vehicle and a specialist carrier. Cutting-edge detection technology includes 360-degree high-definition long-range cameras mounted on the outside of the vehicle, which can scan for enemy threats even while moving at speed. The Boxer is fitted with air conditioning so it can operate in extreme temperatures and has a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) protection system.
Built in the UK by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) in Telford, KNDS UK in Stockport, and Pearson Engineering in Newcastle, which manufactures the Mission Module hulls.
Ian Bell, Chief Executive Officer at Pearson Engineering, said: “The delivery of the 100th Boxer is an important milestone for the British Army and for the wider UK industrial team. It provides an opportunity to recognise the people, skills, investment and specialist suppliers behind that achievement.
At DVD 2026, Moog showcased a specialist air defence mission module for the Boxer leveraging the operationally proven Reconfigurable Integrated Weapons Platform (RIwP). The new Boxer-specific module was assembled in a matter of weeks, using British engineers at both Moog’s and KNDS’ UK facilities.
The configuration on display at DVD featured the XM914 30 x 113mm cannon, M240 7.62mm machine gun, a four-missile canister of the Stinger missile, and a 16-missile canister of 70mm laser-guided rockets.
Adding the RIwP to the Boxer gives it a reconfigurable, layered air defence capability. The RIwP turret does not intrude below the vehicle roof, helping preserve space for dismounts. The Boxer integration of RIwP shows how the system can be adapted for different mission requirements, including configurations developed for the British Army’s Specialist C-UAS requirement, as well as Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) and MCCO/Force Overwatch.
by Stephen W. Miller
