Boxer development began 30 years ago – so why has the Army only got it now?

The Boxer armoured vehicle has been unveiled in the UK, but why has it taken so long to get it into the hands of the British Army?

The first entirely British-made Boxer vehicle was on display at the International Armoured Vehicles conference – but the vehicle's story started as far back as 1993.

It began as a joint venture design project between Germany and France, with the UK joining the project three years later, but withdrawing in 2003 to focus on the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES).

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FRES was a project initiated by the Ministry of Defence to develop a fleet of next-generation, highly deployable and versatile military vehicles – it came into effect in May 2004 with an assessment period of two years.

It had a specification that the vehicles could be airlifted by the Airbus A400M and the smaller C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

Elements of the FRES programme evolved into successful acquisitions and projects, such as the Ajax armoured fighting vehicle, which became a key component of the British Army's modernisation efforts.

But the programme did face challenges.

In May 2008, Mowag Piranha V – a modern armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) designed by General Dynamics – was chosen as the winning design for the FRES utility vehicle.

Seven months later, General Dynamics' status as the preferred contractor for the utility vehicle contract was rescinded and various sources were worried that the FRES programme had fallen victim to UK defence's budget cuts – it was eventually abandoned.

This was part of broader financial pressures faced by the UK Government due to the global economic crisis, which began in 2007/08, and ongoing challenges in managing defence expenditures.

In March 2018, the UK rejoined the Boxer programme and a contract was signed in 2019 for 523 Boxer vehicles, with production agreements ensuring significant involvement of UK-based industries.

The vehicles underwent extensive trials and testing to ensure they met British Army requirements and were suitable for deployment in varied environments.

The first fully British-made Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land Boxer armoured vehicle was unveiled at the International Armoured Vehicle Conference this week.

While the unveiling was a ceremonial milestone, he actual deployment of Boxers to units for operational use will take time, as crews need to be trained and the vehicles integrated into broader force structures.

In comparison, the US LAV-25 system was in service within two years.

In April 1981, the US Department of Defence opened submissions to the LAV programme, three contractors were down-selected and LAV entered service with the Marines in 1983. 

Germany has been a leading participant in the Boxer programme since its inception in the 1990s, and after its development period Germany placed an order for the Boxer in 2006, with the first vehicles being delivered to the German army in 2009.

France withdrew from the programme in 1999, opting to pursue its own armoured vehicle projects.