British army Boxer 8×8 armored vehicle has already been tested over thousands of kilometers

According to a Tweet published by Nicholas Drummond on December 19, 2021, The British version of the Boxer 8×8 armored vehicle has already been tested over thousands of kilometers by an independent body and will be tested further when five prototypes are delivered next year.

Following an announcement on 31 March 2018 by the UK government that it was re-joining the Boxer program, the UK government announced on 3 April that Boxer had been selected by the British Army to meet its Mechanized Infantry Vehicle (MIV) requirement. The Mechanized Infantry Vehicle (MIV) is the British Army’s concept of an 8×8 wheeled armored vehicle.

In November 2019, the British Defence Secretary has announced that a £2.8bn deal has been signed to provide the British Army with around 500 new Boxer armored vehicles. Deliveries will start in 2023.

The British army will receive 85 infantry carrying vehicles, 60 engineer section vehicles, 62 recce and fire support vehicles, 28 mortar carriers, and 50 equipment support and repair platforms. The Boxer acquisition by the British army will also include a mix of 123 command and control vehicles and C2-utility vehicles, 19 observation post vehicles, 24 beyond-line-of-sight platforms, 11 electronic warfare & SIGINT (signals intelligence) vehicles and 61 ambulances.

In July 2021, it was announced that Production of the British Army’s next-generation war-fighting vehicle Boxer was started in the UK. Work to manufacture key components of the Boxer Mechanized Infantry Vehicle is being carried out at WFEL’s new production facility in Stockport. Most of the fleet will be built in the UK by main contractors WFEL and Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL).

The Boxer is an 8×8 is a multirole armored vehicle produced by the ARTEC GmbH (armored vehicle technology) industrial group and managed by OCCAR (Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation). The vehicle is based on a modular design consisting of two key elements including the platform/drive-line with driver position and powerpack and the removable mission module located at the rear part of the vehicle that can be configured according to missions requirements.

The British army Boxer 8×8 armored vehicle will offer a high level of protection against ballistic and mine threats as well as blast protection. The vehicle will be able to reach a top speed of 95 km/h and can carry a section of soldiers.

The Boxer of the British army will be equipped with cutting-edge threat detection technology including 360-degree high-definition long-range cameras attached to the outside of the vehicle that will scan for enemy threats even when moving at speed. The cameras alert the soldiers inside the Boxer through a digital display so that they can keep a permanent watch outside whilst remain safely inside the vehicle.

The Boxer is also fitted with air conditioning so it can operate in extreme temperatures and a nuclear biological and chemical (NBC) protection system to counter threats.