The German Armed Forces, or Bundeswehr, will receive upgraded Boxer-series armored command vehicles, according to a Rheinmetall news release.
On Thursday, German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall has announced that it is currently bringing another 27 Boxer command vehicles of the Bundeswehr up to the latest A2 standard.
As noted by the company, Germany’s Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) awarded the order at the end of January 2021.
The 27 vehicles are to undergo modernization at the Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH plant in Kassel, Rheinmetall’s centre of excellence for tactical wheeled vehicles. Work is set to begin in March 2021, with return of the vehicles to the Bundeswehr slated to take place during the 2022-2024 timeframe. For Rheinmetall, the order is worth a figure in the lower two-digit million-euro range.
The command vehicle, or FüFz (Führungsfahrzeug) in German military parlance, is one of four variants of the tried-and-tested, high-mobility Boxer armoured transport vehicle currently in service with the Bundeswehr. The FüFz is found in mechanized formations, where it serves as a mobile tactical operations centre or command post. The vehicles feature a full panoply of radio equipment and advanced C4I systems.
The upgrade to A2 status encompasses an extensive array of modernization measures, including (among other things) the driver’s visualization system; the exhaust emission and air-conditioning ducts; the towing gear; the driver’s station; the headlight technology; as well as software and system security modifications. In addition, the vehicle’s satellite communications capability, voice and data transmission and IT equipment will all be improved.
The vehicle can be armed with a 12.7mm x 99 M2HB QCB machine gun or a Heckler & Koch 40mm x 53 automatic grenade launcher. Additionally, a 76mm smoke grenade discharger system with six launchers is attached to the remote weapon station.
Now official, the latest order forms a sequel to the modernization to A2 status of the first lot of 38 Boxer command vehicles that commenced in 2017. The current combat performance upgrade of the second lot will ensure that the Bundeswehr’s entire fleet of 65 Boxer command vehicles reflects the latest tactical and technical state of the art.
