Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

The Boxer is a German-Dutch multirole armoured fighting vehicle designed to accomplish a number of operations through the use of installable mission modules. It is produced by the ARTEC GmbH (ARmoured vehicle TEChnology) industrial group, and the programme is being managed by OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation). ARTEC GmbH is seated in Munich, its parent companies are Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall on the German side, and Stork PWV (now also a subsidiary of Rheinmetall) for the Netherlands. Other names are GTK (Gepanzertes Transport Kraftfahrzeug; armoured transport vehicle) Boxer and "MRAV" for Multirole Armoured Vehicle (obsolete).


Design

The Boxer is an eight-wheeled MRAV, easily dwarfing most contemporary vehicles with its size. At 33 ton combat weight, it is also about 10 tons heavier than many other contemporary vehicles within the same role. It is designed to carry out a variety of utility missions with maximum flexibility; this is achieved via several different "mission modules" specialized for various tasks which are available separately from the vehicle. The base vehicle is independent of the modules, and modules can be interchanged within an hour. Each module incorporates a primary safety cell with a triple floor.

Known mission modules

Headquarters
Medical
Logistics
Armored personnel carrier
ambulance
Battle damage repair
120mm mortar

The Boxer is built with a high degree of standardization, and designed to be maintained easily and efficiently. It is capable of being air transported in the future A400M tactical airlifter.

Protection

The basic vehicle shell is composed of hard steel, and "modular armor" is sandwiched between it and the vehicle cell. The three elements are held together by fastening bolts. The modular armor, currently, is a specialized ceramic mix, but future versions of the armor can be easily fitted to the vehicle by slab replacement. The hull protects against top attack bomblets and AP mines, including "hanging" seats to improve crew protection from explosions below the vehicle. The vehicle is outfitted with advanced thermal, radar, and acoustic stealth technology.