New Chapter for British Forces with the Delivery of the First UK Built Boxer APC.

On 7 August 2025, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) announced that the first Boxer fully assembled at its Telford facility is now in service with the British Army. The company stated that this milestone represents the latest stage in a programme that has already passed several key phases, marking the handover of the first vehicle completed at the Telford site. The vehicle was transferred from ATT to Bovington, where it will begin its role as a training platform. Soldiers will learn to drive, operate, and maintain the vehicle as an initial step before any operational deployment. This delivery forms part of a modernisation programme valued at £5 billion (approximately $7 billion), which aims to supply 623 vehicles in various configurations to equip future mechanised infantry units.
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The Boxer combines a modular design, high mobility, and enhanced protection, with approximately 75% of its components manufactured in the UK (Picture source: UK MoD)

The vehicle was manufactured by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) at its Telford site with support from KNDS UK, under the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) Programme. This programme began in 2019 with a contract awarded via OCCAR to ARTEC GmbH, a joint venture between Rheinmetall and KNDS, and involves cooperation between the British Army, Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), and industry partners. An investment of £56 million has modernised the Telford facility into an advanced production site, with assembly lines for drive and mission modules, advanced surface treatment workshops, and armoured steel manufacturing capabilities.

The British Boxer retains the modular architecture developed by Germany and the Netherlands, enabling rapid adaptation to multiple roles, including troop transport, command post, ambulance, and 120 mm mortar carrier. The configuration delivered for training includes a 360-degree threat detection system with high-definition long-range cameras capable of identifying enemy activity while moving. Alerts are relayed to the crew via a digital display, allowing situational awareness while remaining protected. The vehicle is also equipped with a nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) protection system, air conditioning for extreme environments, and a remote weapon station armed with either a 12.7 mm machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, reconfigurable to meet operational needs.

Approximately 75% of the components are sourced from UK suppliers, with production split between RBSL in Telford and WFEL in Stockport, involving more than 100 domestic subcontractors. This arrangement is expected to sustain around 400 direct jobs at the two sites and over 1,000 across the national supply chain. The British variants also feature enhanced compatibility with the communications and battlefield management systems of the Network Enabled Capability programme and incorporate lessons learned from other Boxer operators such as Germany and Lithuania.

While part of the initial manufacturing continues in Germany, production capacity in the UK is expanding in line with government objectives to increase industrial autonomy in the defence sector. The Boxer project runs alongside the acquisition of 148 Challenger 3 main battle tanks and the Ajax family of tracked reconnaissance vehicles. Together, these programmes are expected to create or maintain over 6,000 jobs in the UK defence industry.

With this first delivery, the British Army now has a practical platform to train its crews and prepare for the integration of this new capability. The phased introduction of UK-produced Boxers, supported by a strengthened industrial base, is set to continue over several years, providing a capability designed to meet future operational requirements in a changing global security environment.