Home Europe German Army upgrading additional Boxer vehicles to A2 standard

German Army upgrading additional Boxer vehicles to A2 standard

German Army Boxer vehicle
Photo: Rheinmetall

The German defense ministry has awarded Rheinmetall a contract for the upgrade of an additional 27 Boxer command vehicles to the latest A2 standard.

The contract in the “lower two-digit million-euro range,” as disclosed by the company, was awarded in late January.

The 27 vehicles are to undergo modernization at the Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH plant in Kassel, Rheinmetall’s center of excellence for tactical wheeled vehicles. Work is set to begin in March 2021, with return of the vehicles to the Bundeswehr slated to take place during the 2022-2024 timeframe.

The command vehicle, or FüFz in German military parlance, is one of four variants of the tried-and-tested, high-mobility Boxer armored transport vehicle currently in service with the Bundeswehr. The FüFz is found in mechanized formations, where it serves as a mobile tactical operations center or command post. The vehicles feature radio equipment and advanced C4I systems.

The upgrade to A2 status encompasses an array of modernization measures, including the driver’s visualization system; the exhaust emission and air-conditioning ducts; the towing gear; the driver’s station; the headlight technology; as well as software and system security modifications.

In addition, the vehicle’s satellite communications capability, voice and data transmission and IT equipment will all be improved.

Now official, the latest order forms a sequel to the modernization to A2 status of the first lot of 38 Boxer command vehicles that started in 2017. The current combat performance upgrade of the second lot will ensure that the Bundeswehr’s entire fleet of 65 Boxer command vehicles reflects the latest tactical and technical standard.