Overview
- The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, acting for the British Army, awarded the contract Wednesday to ARTEC, a KNDS–Rheinmetall joint venture, for 72 systems with training and in‑service support.
- Each gun on a Boxer wheeled chassis fires eight rounds per minute, reaches targets up to 70 kilometres, moves at up to 100 km/h to avoid counter‑battery fire, and can be run by just two soldiers from the crew compartment.
- Rheinmetall will manufacture the barrel, breech, recoil system and trunnions at its Telford site using steel from Sheffield Forgemasters, while KNDS UK will build the Boxer drive module in Stockport.
- The programme supports about 500 UK jobs, including 100 new skilled roles in Telford, 100 positions in Stockport, and around 300 across the wider supply chain.
- First deliveries are scheduled for 2028, with a minimal deployable capability before the end of the decade as Archer stays in service as the interim system.