Australian Boxer

The Rheinmetall 8x8 Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) has been confirmed as the winner of the Australian Project Land 400 Phase 2. The Boxer knocked out rival offerings based on formidable armoured fighting platforms such as the Patria AMV35, General Dynamics LAV 6.0 and ST Kinetics Terrex.

Boxer CRV facing a M1 Abram Main Battle Tank.
(Photo from Australian Government Department of Defence)

A total of 211 CRV will be purchased to replace the 257 Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV) currently in service. The first vehicle is expected to be delivered in 2019 from Germany with the first delivery from the Australian production line in 2021.

Australia Defence

LAND 400 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle Testing

LAND 400 Phase 2 contenders BAE Systems Australia and Rheinmetall have presented their vehicles, Patria AMV35 and Boxer CRV respectively, for testing.  The Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) were tested in an exercise at the Puckapunyal Army Base in Victoria.

LAND 400 Phase 2 is a $4-5 billion project to purchase 225 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles to replace the Australian Army's current fleet of Light Armoured Vehicles.

The two LAND 400 contenders  posing with an Australian M-1 Abram MBT and LAV.

manufacturer monthly

Land 400 Phase 2 Down Select

Australia has down selected BAE Systems and Rheinmetall as potential suppliers of the CRV (Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle) under the Land 400 Phase 2 programme. The two companies will be conducting 12 months of risk mitigation activities funded by the Defence Materiel Organisation. A down select is expected by the end of 2017 with the delivery of the first vehicles to the training units by May 2020. The first cavalry unit is expected to receive their vehicles by July 2021 and all deliveries should be completed by July 2024.

BAE Systems is competing with a variant of the Finnish Patria AMV (Armoured Modular Vehicle). The AMV was also selected for service with Croatia, Finland, Poland, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden and UAE,

The Rheinmetall's offering is the Boxer, which is in service with the German and Dutch Armies. Rheinmetall in a joint venture with MAN Truck & Bus AG is currently delivering 2536 vehicles (MAN Hx) and 3000 associated specialist modules to ADF under Project Land 121 Phase 3B (Overlander). They won the US$1.45 billion contract in 2013 over the competing vehicles Thlales Australia's Bushmaster Utility and Mercedes Benz Australia/ Pacific's Actros and Zetros vehicles.

The unsuccessful competing vehicles are the Sentinel II (a variant of the ST Kinetic Terrex) and an updated version of the LAV 6.0.

German Army Boxers at Camp Marmal in Afghanistan, 2011. By ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16209306

Defense Update