Australia is negotiating its most lucrative defence export deal, with the German army planning to buy hundreds of Queensland-made Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs), Andrew Tillett reports in Australian Financial Review. Talks over the deal, which could be worth up to $3 billion, are well advanced between the Australian and German governments. The first of the Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles could be delivered to Germany next year.
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Australian soldiers from the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) in a Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle conduct a battle run at Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland (Picture source: Australia DoD)
The Boxer is in service with the Australian Army. It is an 8x8 multirole, modular vehicle that can be configured for various missions: including troop transport, command and control, ambulance, and reconnaissance. The Australian Army has ordered a total of 211 units under a $4.3 billion contract. These vehicles are being delivered in four different variants: Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV), Joint Fires Vehicle (JFV), and Ambulance.
The IFV variant is armed with a 30mm autocannon and a suite of advanced sensors and communication systems, allowing it to engage enemy armour and provide fire support to the infantry. The CRV variant will be equipped with a range of sensors and weapons, including a 30mm cannon, and will be used for reconnaissance and surveillance missions. The JFV variant will provide artillery support and will be equipped with a range of advanced communication and targeting systems. The Ambulance variant will be used for medical evacuation and casualty transport.
The possible German contract could lead to the production of a much bigger number of vehicles than the 211 ordered for the Australian army: Berlin is interested in acquiring several hundred vehicles as part of its €100 billion ($157 billion) spending spree on new weapons, Andrew Tillett reports: “The German government has now shared its intention with the Australian government to buy Australian-made Boxer CRVs for the German army,” German ambassador to Australia Markus Ederer told The Australian Financial Review in an exclusive interview. “With the increased needs which we’ve seen because of Ukraine, many countries have to replenish their stocks of almost everything from vehicles to ammunition to air defence, so it’s only natural the Boxer vehicle is also in demand. The German parliament has adopted a special fund of €100 billion and procurement decisions are now flowing from that.”
Let us recall that, as part of its winning bid in 2018 for the Australian Defence Force contract, Rheinmetall established a factory and testing ground at Redbank near Ipswich in south-east Queensland, dubbed the Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence, or MILVEHCOE. The company is about to start production on the second tranche of vehicles to be delivered to the Australian army, which will be the first built locally. The production run is due to finish in 2026, Andrew Tillett writes.
Defense News March 2023
