First entirely British-made Boxer vehicle unveiled ahead of Army use within six months

The first entirely British-made Boxer vehicle has been unveiled at the International Armoured Vehicles conference and is set to be in the hands of the Army within six months.

Defence Procurement Minister Maria Eagle revealed the UK-built Boxer, describing it as the leading eight-by-eight variant on the market.

Ms Eagle said the new all-terrain armoured vehicle would provide a huge boost to the Army.

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"The UK variant benefits from the lessons learned by our partners in Germany, in the Netherlands, Lithuania and Australia, resulting in a vehicle – and I appreciate I might be a bit biased – that can credibly be seen as the leading Boxer variant on the market."

Ms Eagle highlighted the vehicle's cutting-edge modular design – it is capable of adapting to various roles, like infantry carrier, ambulance or command vehicle and other new variants are in development. 

"The Boxer programme is in the mould of the type of defence partnerships that we plan to build across the defence sector through our forthcoming defence industrial strategy," she said.

"As we use our Strategic Defence Review to plot a path towards spending 2.5% of GDP on defence, encouraging defence partners to manufacture here in the UK is a win-win.

"It bolsters our Armed Forces and enhances our industrial resilience, deterring potential enemies in an increasingly dangerous world."

The Boxer will now go to Millbrook for a military equipment inspection, joining 15 others from Germany, and will be in the hands of the British Army within the next six months.

The Army aims to have 27 Boxers in service by the end of the year.