The $6.15 billion UK Boxer 8×8 armored vehicle program, covers the acquisition of 623 vehicles (Breaking Defense)
IAV 2025 — The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) unveiled the first British-manufactured 8×8 Boxer armoured vehicle at Defence iQ’s International Armoured Vehicle (IAV) conference in Farnborough this week, the first time in over a decade the UK has locally produced an armored vehicle.
Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle MP announced the news on Tuesday, claiming it to be the “leading Boxer variant currently in the market” and suggesting British-manufactured Boxers could be made available for international customers in the future.
Made by RBSL, which is a joint venture between Germany’s Rheinmetall and the UK’s BAE Systems, and under licence from the ARTEC consortium of KNDS and Rheinmetall, Boxer vehicles are being constructed for the British Army’s Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) program of record. The MIV is a £5 billion ($6.15 billion) program with a requirement for 623 platforms. In 2023, the then Conservative government said that it had allocated funding for 1,016 vehicles from a total requirement of 1,305. The UK MoD did not respond to a request for comment on current vehicle projections at the time of publication.
Variants on order from the UK include infantry carrier, specialist carrier, command post carrier and an ambulance type.
“Boxer is the mould for the types of partnerships we want to build through the forthcoming strategic defense review [due to be published later in 2025],” Eagle stated before confirming defense partners manufacturing in the UK is a “win-win” solution.
The news follows comments made at IAV in 2024 by MoD officials who voiced frustration with Boxer manufacturers regarding supply chain delays.
Local manufacturing of Boxer in the UK falls in line with the Anglo-German “Trinity House Agreement on Defence” signed in October 2024 which encouraged bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Drive units and mission modules are being manufactured in Telford and Stockport with support from KNDS UK. Platforms are expected to enter service by the end of 2030 with a first batch of Boxers comprising 540 platforms, RBSL officials confirmed to Breaking Defense.
UK manufacturing facilities are also expecting to build additional bridging, artillery and mortar Boxer variants in the future.
Martyn Williams, Senior Responsible Officer, Mechanised Infantry Programme & Director Boxer Strategic Pipeline said in a statement: “The first UK-manufactured Boxer rolling off the production line is a landmark moment for the British Army and Defence in delivering Boxer and restoring full Armoured Fighting Vehicle manufacture back into the UK.
“It also reflects a strong partnership between the UK and Germany under the Trinity House agreement. This milestone exemplifies the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy as we deliver world-class military vehicles whilst driving prosperity and growth across the UK.’
The Boxer displayed at IAV featured Kongsberg’s RS4 remote weapon station although a 12.7mm weapon system was not integrated on the vehicle. The British Army is also considering integration of the larger RS6 remote weapon station in the future, equipped with a 30mm cannon.
According to Will Gibby, managing director of RBSL, the local build of Boxer is the first time the UK has manufactured an armoured vehicle since the Terrier armoured engineering vehicle by BAE Systems. That vehicle’s production line in Newcastle, England, was shutdown in 2013 after orders came to a halt.
Speaking to Breaking Defense at IAV, Gibby confirmed RBSL has manufactured a total of four Boxers to date with another four currently undergoing factory acceptance tests. An additional 48 platforms are scheduled to be manufactured over the course of 2025 in command post, special carrier, ambulance and infantry carrier variants, he added.
Gibby also explained how RBSL is “looking at capacity [to support] international pipelines”, similar to Boxer vehicles being manufactured in Australia and destined for service in the German Armed Forces.
“We want to increase and develop new variants in the UK,” he added before referencing opportunities in Germany via the Trinity House agreement as well as potential sales into the Middle East.
According to an MoD statement provided to Breaking Defense, the Boxer is an “all terrain, highly protected armoured fighting vehicle that can be rapidly adapted to suit various military missions, roles and scenarios across many theatres of operations.”
“The purpose of Boxer is to rapidly transport soldiers and mission systems to and around the battlefield, enabling them to conduct their special-to-arm roles. In addition, Boxers can be rapidly reconfigured, meaning that through its life, its capabilities can evolve,” the statement added.
The UK’s Boxer variant is derived from a series of lessons learned from similar designs adopted by Australia, Germany, Lithuania and the Netherlands.
The British Army’s ambition of delivering a warfighting division by 2030 is based around the delivery and entry into service of Boxer, new Challenger 3 main battle tanks and Ajax armored fighting vehicles.
