British Army Boxer: what are the benefits to UK industry?

The industrial split between the UK and Germany for the British Army’s Boxer armoured fighting vehicle programme, will see the UK’s defence sector build the equivalent of more than 350 platforms, from a current total order in excess of 600 units. Outlining the industrial workshare in a 10 March 2025, UK parliamentary written response, UK Defence Procurement Minister Maria Eagle restated the 60/40% split previously agreed by London and Berlin in the Trinity House Agreement inked in 2024. “As a direct consequence of this agreement, 60% of the original production contract for Boxer is planned to come from the UK, with the additional 40% of production continuing to come from Germany,” Eagle said. The first UK manufactured British Army Boxer armoured fighting vehicle was unveiled at the International Armoured Vehicle conference in January 2025. A total of 623 Boxer vehicles across four distinct variants are on contract, comprising: infantry carrier (146 units), command platform (212 units), specialist carrier (200 units), and ambulance (65 units). Although there is considerable cross-pollination of parts in the UK Boxer programme, the workshare will see UK industry build the equivalent of 374 of the 623 Boxer MIVs. This will see German industry ‘build’ the remaining 249 vehicles. Boxer: 4,000 UK jobs and 75% of components? The platforms will be assembled by Telford-based RBSL, a joint venture between the UK’s BAE Systems and Germany’s Rheinmetall, and KNDS in Germany. RBSL claimed the Boxer programme would create “4,000 highly skilled jobs in engineering, development, and complex systems integration”, according to a 9 January 2025 release. However, a subsequent 25 January release publicising the delivery of the first UK-built British Army Boxer said the programme would create “over 1,000” skilled jobs, with over 100 UK suppliers involved. RBSL stated that around 75% of Boxer’s components were “sourced domestically”, providing a “resilient UK supply”. The original 2018 statement by the then Conservative UK government mentioned the creation of “at least 1,000” jobs as a result of rejoining the Boxer programme. In 2019 the UK government awarded a contract to ARTEC GmbH – a partnership between Rheinmetall and KNDS, with the actual manufacture subcontracted to RBSL and KNDS. Rheinmetall invested £56m ($72.1m) into the RBSL site in Telford, creating “modern fabrication lines for armoured steel, advanced surface treatment systems, and integrated assembly lines for both Drive and Mission Modules”. UK Defence Procurement Minister Maria Eagle (left) points towards a Made in Britain sign pasted onto the first UK manufactured Boxer. Credit: Rheinmetall In addition, WFEL, a UK subsidiary of KNDS, anticipated in 2021 the creation of 120 jobs at a new manufacturing facility in Stockport in support of the Boxer programme. The UK’s Defence Equipment & Support stated in 2021 that the Boxer programme aimed to secure “60% by value of contract” from within the UK supply chain. Supply chain examples cited in the same statement included Bath-based Horstman which would manufacture angular gearboxes and control units. Horstman is owned by Germany’s Renk Group AG engineering and manufacturing company. More UK Boxers in the pipeline? Meanwhile, information revealed that the DVD event in 2024 showed Boxer programme’s so-called strategic pipeline, which included variants not among the original four that could be acquired in the years ahead. This strategic pipeline includes the Boxer-based RCH 155 self-propelled artillery platform, with the UK signing a deal to undertake the co-development of the capability with Germany, as well as the introduction of an Armoured Mortar Vehicle (AMV) variant. While the RCH 155 is well-known, the public detailing of the prospect of the AMV variant and a proposed timeline is rare. British Army officials indicated the AMV variant would have an IOC of 2030, compared to an anticipated 2029 for the RCH 155 platform.  Other Boxer types being considered as part of the strategic pipeline include the SERPENS deep find radar platform, which appeared to have a 2031 IOC, a ground-based air defence (GBAD) C-SAT variant (2032 IOC timeframe) that would feature something like a SkyRanger turret, and a TYRO combat support bridging vehicle reaching IOC a little earlier, around 2029. Sign up for our daily news round-up! Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights.

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