The milestone reflects sustained collaboration between OCCAR, ARTEC, KNDS, Rheinmetall and the NAD Group, with manufacturing spanning facilities in Telford and Stockport and a supply chain supporting hundreds of skilled jobs across the country.
The UK’s Boxer programme has reached a landmark, with the 100th Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicle delivered to the Ministry of Defence, marking a significant step in the establishment of domestic armoured vehicle production capacity and the embedding of a resilient UK supply chain.
Boxer is procured through OCCAR and delivered via the ARTEC consortium, which brings together KNDS and Rheinmetall, working alongside the National Armaments Director Group and the Army. The platform is modular and adaptable, designed to be central to the British Army’s future warfighting capability across a range of roles. Manufacture takes place at two UK production lines, at RBSL’s facility in Telford and KNDS UK in Stockport, with a supply chain that reaches across the breadth of the country and sustains hundreds of highly skilled jobs.
Martyn Williams, Senior Responsible Owner for Boxer at the NAD Group, said the milestone “reflects the tremendous work done by OCCAR, ARTEC, KNDS, Rheinmetall, the NAD Group and wider MOD to establish two UK Boxer production lines and the broad supply chains across the UK,” adding that the international collaboration has enabled technology transfer that builds on Britain’s “proud history of armoured vehicle manufacturing.”
Rebecca Richards, Managing Director of Rheinmetall UK, described the achievement as a reflection of “the dedication and expertise of our workforce, suppliers and partners,” saying the programme is “helping to build long-term manufacturing capacity and strengthen sovereign industrial capability.” Tony Webb, Operations Director at KNDS UK, pointed to Boxer as evidence of what long-term investment in sovereign defence capability can deliver, noting that programmes of this kind “sustain critical skills, support SMEs across a resilient national supply chain and drive investment in advanced manufacturing.”
The Boxer milestone lands at a moment of heightened political focus on UK defence industrial capacity. With the Defence Investment Plan due for imminent publication and ministers repeatedly emphasising that contracts will be awarded to firms here in Britain, programmes that demonstrate the country’s ability to produce world-class armoured vehicles on home soil carry considerable strategic as well as industrial significance. For SMEs operating across the Boxer supply chain and for businesses seeking to engage with future armoured vehicle programmes, the continued growth of domestic production lines points to sustained demand for precision manufacturing, engineering services and specialist components.
Relevant capability areas for businesses seeking to engage with armoured vehicle and wider land platform supply chains include:
- Armoured vehicle manufacture and systems integration
- Precision engineering and advanced manufacturing
- Modular platform and mission systems development
- SME tier-two and tier-three supply chain participation
- Vehicle maintenance, repair and overhaul
- Sovereign defence industrial capability development
- International defence procurement and OCCAR programme engagement
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Post written by: Vicky Maggiani
Vicky has worked in media for over 25 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.
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