The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has announced that they will re-join the Boxer program via the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation, or OCCAR.
OCCAR is an international organization that manages existing and future joint armament programs. Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom are all member states.
The move will allow the MOD to procure Boxers to meet the requirements for the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) program. It will also enhance Britain's compatibility with NATO allies and represents a substantial investment in the UK‘s defence industrial base.
“Rheinmetall warmly welcomes the announcement from the UK MOD,” Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, said. “The Boxer vehicle offers exceptional levels of protection and mobility that have been proven on operations, and we look forward to welcoming the British Army into the group of armed forces already successfully operating Boxer.”
Rheinmetall is in discussions with a number of UK partners to deliver the MIV programme including BAE Systems, Thales UK, Raytheon, Rolls-Royce and Pearson Engineering.
“We are delighted with the announcement that the UK MOD has selected Boxer for the MIV program at the conclusion of a comprehensive market analysis, and are confident that the MOD will find that a Boxer procurement provides excellent value for money and timely delivery to support the rapid establishment of the UK Strike Brigades,” Ben Hudson, global head of Rheinmetall’s Vehicle Systems Division, said.
The announcement that the UK will procure Boxers comes on the back of the news that the Australian Army has also selected the Boxer under Land 400 Phase 2.
The Boxer is made by ARTEC, a joint venture between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall.
So far more than 600 vehicles, in 12 different versions, have been ordered or delivered to Germany, the Netherlands and Lithuania.