Boxer 8x8 armored personnel carrier

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Boxer 8x8 is an armored fighting vehicle jointly developed by Germany and the Netherlands.

Also known as GTK Boxer (gepanzertes Transport-Kraftfahrzeug meaning armoured transport vehicle), this heavy 8x8 APC is manufactured by ARTEC GmbH.

ARTEC is a joint-venture company formed by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV) of Germany, it's dutch subsidiary Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Nederland B.V. and the manufacturer of Leopard 2 series of tanks, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH.

Rheinmetall also founded along with Automecanica Moreni of Romania, another joint-venture company, called Romanian Military Vehicle Systems.

RMVS will manufacture in Romania at Moreni plant the new AGILIS 8x8 armored personnel carrier, which, unlike Boxer 8x8, will be amphibious.

Boxer has a unique feature among armored vehicles. It uses removable mission modules which are mounted on the chasis and can be changed between them within an hour.

The mission modules are:

- Armored Personnel Carrier - Infantry Fighting Vehicle - Command Post - Engineer Group - Battle Damage Repair - Cargo - Ambulance

Boxer Mission Module Boxer Mission Module Author: Boevaya mashina Wikimedia Source: [link] Having this specific feature of using different mission modules which can be interchanged between them, the dutch-german vechicle is also known as MRAV Boxer (MRAV comes from multirole armoured vehicle).

At a weight between 24 and 38.5 t, Boxer is a heavy armoured fighting vehicle, setting the standard for other modern AFVs like GDELS's Piranha 5, the israeli Eitan AFV, or the latest model of the Patria family, the Patria AMV.

Regarding the vehicle dimensions, the GTK Boxer 8x8 has a length of 7.93 m (26 ft 0 in), a width of 2.99 m (9 ft 10 in), a height of 2.37 m (7 ft 9 in) and a ground clearance of 500 mm.

The crew varies by the installed module, but in APC configuration, beside the driver, commander and the gunner, Boxer armoured personnel carrier can host up to eight soldiers.

The driver sits to the right front of the vehicle, the engine being on the left side. Like in all modern APCs, the seats of the Boxer are decoupled from the floor, reducing the shock felt by the crew in case a mine detonates under the vehicle.

Protection

The hull of the Boxer 8x8 is made of all-welded steel, on top of it being fitted AMAP (Advanced Modular Armor Protection) composite armour. AMAP makes use of advanced steel alloys, Aluminium-Titanium alloys and nano-ceramics.

The baseline armour of Boxer 8x8 provides STANAG 4569 Level 4 protection against 14.5 mm armour-piercing ammunition.

AMAP-L spall liner covers the crew compartment, stoping fragments of projectiles and armour. Also, Boxer offers protection under the wheel and chasis against large anti-tank mines or anti-personnel mines.

Engine

Boxer is powered by an 530 kW (711 hp) MTU 8V199 TE20 diesel engine coupled to an Allison HD4070 automatic transmission. The transmission has ten gears, seven forward and three reverse.

Boxer Engine Boxer Engine Author: Bundeswehr-Fotos Wir.Dienen.Deutschland Wikimedia Source: [link] Original Source: Flikr The engine and transmission can be replaced in approximately 20 minutes. When equiped for combat, Boxer has a power-per-weight ratio of 16.1 kW/t.

Armament

Depending of variants and operators, Rheinmetall Boxer 8x8 vehicles are equiped with different weapons.

The German vehicles are equiped with the KMW FKW-200 remote weapon station. FKW-200 can be fitted either with a 12.7 mm M3M machine gun, a 12.7 mm machine gun or with a 40 mm GMW automatic grenade launcher.

Boxer FKW-200 Remote Weapon Station Boxer FKW-200 Remote Weapon Station Author: Boevaya mashina Wikimedia Source: [link] The dutch vehicles are equiped with the Kongsberg Protector M151 remote weapon station fitted with a 12.7 mm machine gun.

The Lithuanian Boxer IFV Vilkas will be equiped with RAFAEL Samson Mk II remote weapon station, fitted with Spike-LR anti-tank missiles and a 30 mm gun.

The Australian Boxer CRVs will be equiped with the Rheinmetall LANCE 30 mm turret, fitted with Rheinmetall Mauser MK30-2/ABM cannon and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun.

Variants

- Boxer APC - Boxer Armored Personnel Carrier is the standard troop carrier version. Can accomodate a crew up to a total of 11 persons.

- Boxer IFV - Boxer Infanntry Fighting Vehicle ... to engage infantry and armoured vehicles are ussually equiped with turrets fitted with 30 mm guns and anti-tank missile launchers.

- Boxer CP (Boxer Command Post) - This is the command and control variant dealing with tactical communication.

Boxer Command Post Boxer Command Post Author: Boevaya mashina Wikimedia Source: [link] Beside the driver, commander and gunner, the crew includes two staff officers, one staff assistant and one additional crew member.

- Boxer GNGP (Boxer Geniegroep) - This engineering and logistics support vehicle can be assigned for route mine clearance or demolition operations.

- Boxer BDR (Battle Damage Repair) - The dutch version of the Boxer GNGP.

- Boxer Cargo - Can transport up to a maximum load of 2.5 t.

- Boxer AMB (Boxer Ambulance) - This is the medevac variant of Boxer.

- Boxer DTV (Boxer Driver Training Vehicle) - Used for training. Equiped with a training module can acomodate trainee driver, instructor and up to two additional trainee passengers.

- Boxer Oerlikon Skyranger Air Defence Variant - At Eurosatory 2018, Rheinmetall presented an air defence variant of the Boxer with the Oerlikon Skyranger air defence system mounted on top.

Oerlikon Skyranger is fitted with Rheinmetall's 35mm x 228 calibre Revolver Gun firing fire the 35 Advanced Hit Efficiency And Destruction (AHEAD) ammunition.

This variant can engage both air and ground targets including light armored vehicles. It can also fire Frangible Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot (FAPDS) ammunition.

Rheinmetall Boxer is an all-wheel drive, eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle, steering with the front four wheels.

It has an independent double wishbone coil suspension, having a vertical step of 800 mm, and being able to cross trenches wide of 2 m. It has a gradient of 60% and a side slope of 30%.

Boxer can reach a speed of 103 km/h (64 mph) and has an operational range of 1,100 km (684 mi).

Operators

- Germany - will operate a total of 403 vehicles with deliveries with deliveries carried on until 2020.

- Lithuania - ordered 88 Boxer infantry fighting vehicles for a total ammount of €385.6 million. The vehicles named Vilkas, will come with Rafael Samson Mk II RWS and will carry Spike-LR anti-tank missiles. Deliveries started in 2017 and the last vehicle will enter service in 2021.

- Netherlands - a total of 200 vehicles, deliveries carried on from 2013 until 2018.

Future Operators

- Australia - Australian Defence Force will aquire 211 Boxer CRV variant under the Project Land 400 Phase 2 estimated at U.S. $3.3 billion.

Boxer CRV version is a variant of Boxer IFV fitted with a LANCE turret and a Mauser Mk.30-2 30mm cannon.

- United Kingdom - Although United Kingdom was one of the nations that started the program as a joint venture along with Germany and France, with Netherlands joining in 2001, UK eventually left the program, after France did the same thing in 1999 to develop by its own the VBCI.

But on 31 March 2018, the british government announced rejoining the program, with a possible aquisition of up to 800 Boxer armored vehicles by the British Army.