13:18 GMT, May 5, 2009 New versions of the Boxer development and series production contracts are in place. The OCCAR-EA Deputy Director and the Managing Directors of ARTEC, Stefan Lischka and Karl-Ulrich Zulauf, signed the contracts on 30 April, the Birthday of The Netherlands’ Queen Beatrix, known as “Koninginnendag”.

The new contract amendments are necessary due to changes in homologation requirements, changes of vehicle interior due to latest developments in other national programmes and changes in qualification procedures that are more focused on the quality of the series vehicles than was the case on the prototypes.

The contracted changes have already been introduced into the series production, with the first drive module hulls and mission modules for the vehicles now on the assembly line of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).

The programme is on track for the roll-out of the first Boxer series vehicles on 10 September 2009 at KMW facilities in Munich.


BOXER – The Next Generation of Multi Role Armoured Vehicles

The Boxer is an 8x8 all terrain heavily-armoured utility vehicle that will be produced in nine different vehicle variants.

The Boxer Programme will provide the German and The Netherlands Armies with a new generation of all terrain armoured utility vehicles. Boxer provides balanced capabilities of transport-capacity, mobility, protection, survivability, growth potential and efficient life cycle costs. Boxer can operate in high intensity conflict, in rapid reaction peace support and in humanitarian operations worldwide, offering improved capabilities and higher levels of performance and protection than other vehicles on the market.

In December 2006, OCCAR placed the contract for series production of 272 vehicles for Germany and 200 vehicles for The Netherlands with ARTEC GmbH - a consortium formed by Krauss Maffei Wegmann (GE), Rheinmetall Landsysteme (GE) and Rheinmetall Nederland (NL), the former Stork PWV. The Boxer will be delivered to Germany in four different vehicle versions, and to The Netherlands in five different vehicle versions. ARTEC GmbH also sees to the development of the Boxer.

The concept of a drive module and an exchangeable mission module makes it a flexible military vehicle, thus ensuring a maximum strategic and tactical deployability in a wide range of operational scenarios. The unique modular concept of the Boxer offers major opportunities for developing new vehicle variants.

The Programme represents a major bi-national cooperation between Germany and The Netherlands, which will bring great operational benefits including interoperability with the armies, as well as financial savings. Sharing of development costs, technologies and economies of scale in production are just three of the major attractions and benefits of this cooperation.

The vehicle prototypes are undergoing an extensive qualification programme. Series production is started up, in order to commence delivery of vehicles in 2009. The Boxer is designed for an in service lifetime of some 30 years.