The Boxer is a German–Dutch multirole armoured fighting vehicle designed to accomplish a number of operations through the use of installable mission modules. It is produced by the ARTEC GmbH (ARmoured vehicle TEChnology) industrial group, and the programme is being managed by OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation).

Lance turret armed with a 30mm automatic cannon

ARTEC GmbH is seated 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 Vehciles Nederland B.V. for the Netherlands. Other names are GTK (Gepanzertes Transport Kraftfahrzeug; armoured transport vehicle) Boxer and MRAV for Multirole Armoured Vehicle.

The Boxer is a cooperative European design project aimed at producing the next generation of armoured utility vehicle. The project was originally started as a joint venture between Germany, Britain and France, but France left the programme in 1999, later to pursue their own design, the Véhicule Blindé de Combat d’Infanterie (VBCI). However, in early 2001 the Netherlandssigned a Memorandum of Understanding and joined the project. 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). Each partner in the programme (including the UK) was to receive four prototypes by July 2004. The first prototype was delivered to Germany in 2002 and was subject to evaluation trials in Germany. The first Dutch prototype was delivered in October 2003.

The Netherlands requires around 400 Boxers, to replace the M577 and the support variants of the YPR-765 in the Royal Netherlands Army, with the Netherlands having already confirmed the procurement of 200 vehicles in autumn of 2006. The fighting versions of the YPR-765 will be replaced by the CV90 IFV.

YPR-765

On December 13, 2006 the German parliament approved the procurement of 272 Boxers for the German Army, to replace shares of its M113 and Fuchs TPz 1 vehicles. When the high numbers of Fuchs´ become obsolete by 2020, more Boxers are likely to follow.

Fuchs TPz 1

In June 2007, the Boxer was being considered for the British FRES programme.

In spring 2011 first German production vehicles with FLW200 remote weapon stations (equipped with M2QCB machine guns and H&K 40mm GMGs) were handed over to Infantry Battalion 292 and Mountain Infantry Battalion 231 for training and deployment to Afghanistan in the second half of 2011.

Boxer equipped with M2QCB machine gunBoxer equipped with H&K 40mm GMGs

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Design

It is designed to carry out a variety of utility missions with maximum flexibility; this is achieved via several different “mission modules” specialized for various tasks which are available separately from the vehicle. The base vehicle is independent of the modules, and modules can be interchanged within an hour. Each module incorporates a primary safety cell with a triple floor.

Protection

The basic vehicle shell is composed of hard steel, and “modular armour” is sandwiched between it and the vehicle cell. The three elements are held together by fastening bolts. The modular armour, currently, is a specialized ceramic mix, but future versions of the armour can be easily fitted to the vehicle by slab replacement. The hull protects against top attack bomblets and anti-personnel mines, including suspended seats to improve crew protection from explosions below the vehicle. The vehicle is outfitted with advanced thermal, radar, and acoustic stealth technology.

Deisenroth makes the MEXAS armoring that has outfitted Canadian LAVs and Leopard 1A5 tanks. Its more advanced AMAP line offers greater protection against medium-caliber small arms fire, fragmentation, and rockets. There’s also a dedicated AMAP-IED product, whose combination of materials and spacings provides good side protection against a range of threats that include land mine blasts and even EFP (explosively formed projectile) side-attacks. (Source: Defense Industry Daily)

Variants

The German and Dutch base vehicles are identical, only the mission modules differ.

Known mission modules

Armoured personnel carrier
Infantry Fighting Vehicle featuring the Rheinmetall Lance turret.
Command Post
Ambulance
Logistics/Cargo
Engineer group carrier
Battle damage repair
Probable platform of the German army’s future SysFla anti aircraft system, incorporating the LFK NG missile and the MANTIS gun system
Artillery Gun Module

Armoured personnel carrierCommand PostAmbulanceLance turret armed with a 30mm automatic cannon

LFK NG missile

German army’s future SysFla anti aircraft system, incorporating the LFK NG missile and the MANTIS gun system. LFK NG The missile features a highly sensitive infrared homing seeker, which is capable of identifying targets with an extremely low infrared signature, such as other missiles or UAVs, but also aircraft and helicopters. Range 10,000 m, Speed Mach 2.2

LFK NG will also have a penetrator warhead to engage semi-armored targets such as gunship helicopters.

Artillery Gun Module

MTU 8V 199 TE20 Diesel

MTU 8V 199 TE20 Diesel 530 kW (711 hp)

Operators

Map of Boxer operators in blue

Current operators

German Army
Royal Netherlands Army – 200, deliveries started 2013 until 2017.

Specifications
Weight	25.2 t (24.8 long tons; 27.8 short tons) (vehicle); 33 t (32 long tons; 36 short tons) (gross)
Length	7.88 m (25 ft 10 in)
Width	2.99 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height	2.37 m (7 ft 9 in) (baseline vehicle)
Crew	3 (+8)

Armor	AMAP composite armour (see above)
Main armament	40mm automatic grenade launcher (Heckler & Koch GMG) or 12.7 mm heavy machine gun (M3M)
Engine	MTU 8V 199 TE20 Diesel 530 kW (711 hp)
Power/weight	16.1 kW/t (max weight)
Suspension	8×8
Operational range	1,100 km (684 mi)
Speed	103 km/h (64 mph)

The unmanned turret with its sighting system and 30mm automatic cannon. The turret installed on the Boxer is the Rheinmetall Defence Lance RC, the remote control version of the Lance turret equipping Puma IFV. Lance is a medium-calibre turret system on the cutting edge of modern military technology. Owing to its compact dimensions and low weight, it can be mounted on a variety of different platforms, including relatively lightweight wheeled vehicles. The main weapon is the MK30-2 / ABM automatic cannon, developed and built by Rheinmetall. The use of this cannon brings a host of advantages for the vehicle crew. The turret has a reserve of 200 rounds of two different ammunition types for the main weapon. This means that the weapon can be resupplied with ammunition without the soldiers having to leave the protected vehicle interior.

Lance turret equipping Puma IFV

WOTAN 30mm

AUTOMATIC CANNON from RHEINMETALL

Wotan is similar with the ATK Bushmaster series in the way that it is also electric driven. Rheinmetall’s previous 30mm cannon MK30-2 / ABM gun that is arming Germany’s newest IFV, Spz Puma is a gas operated gun. However the brand new Wotan is electrically driven following the success of the Bushmaster series with some new features. Combining high performance with latest ammunition technology, this gas-operated cannon offers long-term dependability even under punishing field conditions.

The gun is capable of engaging targets up to 3,000m. It has built-in Air Burst Munitions (ABM) capability thanks to its muzzle programmer which is a derivative of the successful AHEAD system.

Wotan has a fire rate of 200 shots per minute. The gun’s advanced features employed with the proven lethality and versatility of the 30x173mm ammunition offers a good alternative to Bushmaster series

30x173mm ammunition offers a good alternative to Bushmaster series

The Boxer’s modular design concept allows for a variety of mission specific vehicle variants. Numerous modules such as the ambulance, training or command post variants have already been introduced to the German and Dutch Armed Forces. The recently presented artillery variant emphasises the unique capability spectrum of this system.