Australia awarded Rheinmetall an order for 211 Boxer wheeled armoured vehicles on 17 August worth a total of USD2.4 billion according to Rheinmetall Press Release.
The contract was signed on 17 August in Canberra by Australia’s Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the Managing Director of Rheinmetall Defence Australia (RDA), Gary Stewart. Delivery of the 8×8 combat reconnaissance vehicles (CRVs) will take place between 2019 and 2026.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) will introduce several variants of the Boxer with the reconnaissance variant – accounting for 133 of the 211 vehicles – equipped with Rheinmetall’s cutting-edge LANCE turret system and armed with a 30 mm automatic cannon.
Rheinmetall is expected to construct an initial batch of about 20 Boxer CRVs in Germany, which will be delivered from 2019. The remainder will be built by the MILVEHCOE following training and technology transfers to Australia.
