British Army finally selects Boxer for MIV
31st March 2018 - 15:02 GMT | by Alice Budge, Grant Turnbull in London
RSS
In a move that has been anticipated for several months, the UK MoD announced on 31 March that it will re-join the Boxer programme and pursue a sole-source acquisition of the German 8x8 vehicle.
The long-awaited decision on the acquisition strategy for the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) programme was announced just before the end of the 2017 financial year and a few days after British MPs recessed for Easter.
The UK MoD will now move forward with negotiations with the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), a European intergovernmental organisation that runs the Boxer programme, and German manufacturer ARTEC.
'The UK played a major role in the original design, development and testing of the Boxer, and would reassume the rights it had as a project partner if a deal was to go through — allowing the option for the vehicle to be built and exported from the UK,' said an MoD statement.
An assessment phase will now commence to 'consider the comparable benefits of manufacturing locations and different supply chains for Boxer', which is expected to conclude next year.
The first vehicles are planned to enter service in 2023, which is also the initial operational capability date for the British Army's new strike brigade concept and MIV will be a key component.
The Boxer's modular design enables it to be configured for a range of mission-specific operations, while a protection system against mines, IEDs and ballistic threats contributes to crew survivability.
In February ARTEC — a joint venture between Rheinmetall and KMW — announced that it had signed agreements with a trio of British firms including BAE Systems, Pearson Engineering and the UK arm of French aerospace and defence firm Thales. This suggested that the German consortium was keen to demonstrate its selection and would result in tangible returns for the UK economy.
ARTEC stated that through this partnership 60% of Boxer’s value creation and 100% of its final assembly will be performed in the UK. Those statistics were echoed in the MoD's 31 March statement.
Although not set in stone, a significant amount of work is expected to be carried out at BAE Systems’ major combat vehicles facility at Telford, the site that manufactured the British Army's Warrior vehicles in the 90s. Pearson Engineering also has manufacturing capacity in Newcastle where the original Challenger 2 MBTs were built.
The MoD's announcement followed warnings from politicians that selecting the Boxer, without a competition, over bids from UK-based companies such as General Dynamics UK — makers of the Ajax vehicle — would place British manufacturing jobs at risk.
ARTEC’s agreement with three British companies and its commitment to UK assembly and job creation appears to have abated such concerns.
The UK MoD was originally involved in the development of Boxer between 1999 and 2004, during which BAE Systems produced 12 prototypes of the vehicle. According to ARTEC, acquiring the vehicle will resume the UK’s rights to export it from the UK.
Slovenia, Lithuania and Australia recently selected the Boxer to fulfill the nations’ requirement for 8x8 combat vehicles, following the adoption of the vehicle by the German Army and the Royal Netherlands Army.
The Australian Army, however, will be receiving fewer vehicles than initially planned, after higher than anticipated prices for the Boxer reduced the government’s order from 225 units to 211, at a cost of $4.09 billion.
Senior officers, keen for a rapid off-the-shelf acquisition to equip its new Strike brigades, had long favoured the Boxer with little thought for possible offset deals. However, pressure from industry for a competition and a cash-strapped Treasury keen to see strong returns on MoD investment appeared to stall the programme.
https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/british-army-finally-selects-boxer-miv/Abraços
