Explained: All 13 mission modules on the British Army's new Boxer vehicle
The British Army's new Boxer could be described as the Swiss Army knife of armoured vehicles thanks to its unique modular design which means it can be rapidly adapted to fill a range of roles on the battlefield.
It combines an eight-wheeled armoured drive module powered by the same multi-fuel Rolls Royce engine that powers the Ajax armoured vehicle – with 13 switchable mission modules that can be changed to fit the mission or threat environment in just 20 minutes.
Production on the Boxer, a British Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV), has already begun in Telford, Shropshire, after initial production started in Germany in 2021.
A result of the close collaboration between the UK and Germany, the Boxer is an all-terrain armoured transport vehicle that can be rapidly reconfigured to do everything from carrying troops across deserts to treating severely injured service personnel on the journey to hospital.
It will form part of the Army's Strike brigades – new units set up to deploy rapidly over long distances across varied terrains.
Sitting on top of the Boxer, the mission module allows for any chosen variant to be used.
As well as operating as a troop carrier, infantry fighting vehicle, or ambulance version, there is even an unmanned, remote-controlled 155mm Howitzer module that can fire up to nine rounds per minute to a range of up to 40km with standard ammunition.
Last year, the latest armoured Boxer vehicle variant, equipped with Brimstone precision-guided missiles, was unveiled at the Defence Vehicle Dynamics show in Bedfordshire.
In total, the Army has ordered 623 Boxers. RBSL (Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land) is contracted to deliver its first vehicle next year.
The first welding on the first of 260 vehicles to be manufactured for the Army in the West Midlands has taken place, with around three a month set to be produced.
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