The Munich tank builder KMW presents a new version of the boxer. The heavy weapon on it is from the Puma. And something else is different.
Munich – The Munich tank builder Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) has presented the latest version of its wheeled tank Boxer for land forces. It is intended to raise the operational readiness of the Bundeswehr army to another level.
Boxer RCT 30: The army of the Bundeswehr has new wheeled tanks in prospect
We’re talking about the BOXER RCT 30 – that’s the exact name of the model. The decisive innovation compared to previous versions of the wheeled armored vehicle, which the Bundeswehr has been in use since 2009, lies in an “increase in combat value”. And the infantry, i.e. ground troops, should be protected on operations or even on a possible battlefield.
Armament, innovation, plans of the Bundeswehr – Merkur.de explains the new wheeled tank for the German army:
The main feature of the RCT 30 is the 30 mm on-board machine gun (type MK 30-2/ABM) of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle. It is manufactured by the Düsseldorf armaments group Rheinmetall and is built into a remote-controlled unmanned tower. It is a significantly more powerful and larger weapon than the previous remote-controlled light weapon station (FLW) from KMW.
Bundeswehr armored personnel carrier: Boxer RCT 30 has a Puma weapon system
Because with the FLW, a machine gun with a caliber of 12.7 mm was usually installed. With the 30 mm on-board machine cannon, the soldiers are able to effectively combat even heavy armored vehicles. For example, KMW explains in the product description that the “Boxer RCT 30 can follow the Leopard 2 main battle tank off-road”.
Technologically unique in the world is the ability to fire barrel artillery or mortar while driving.
The new Boxer was presented explicitly as a new combat vehicle based on the four-axle troop transporter. “The Boxer RCT 30 combines the high mobility and outstanding protection of the Boxer with the firepower of the Puma,” writes KMW on its website. “Technologically unique in the world is the ability to fire barrel artillery or a mortar while driving,” explained KMW Managing Director Ralf Ketzel on Tuesday (May 16) to dpa on the sidelines of the presentation.
KMW recently presented the newly developed RCH 155 wheeled howitzer. 18 units are currently being made available to the Ukrainian armed forces, as the traffic light federal government announced during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the weekend (May 13/14).
Bundeswehr: Boxer supplies chassis for RCH 155 and RCT 30
The RCH 155 is also based on the chassis and chassis of a Boxer. However, the turret with the weapon system of the Panzerhaubitze 2000 is mounted on it – including the massive smoothbore gun. Due to the unmanned artillery gun module (AGM), the crew is limited to two soldiers; a driver and a commander. Everything should run automatically, from loading the cannon to firing. According to KMW, the RCH 155 is so mobile and its weapon system so stable that it can even fire at full speed.
Wheeled Armor Boxer RCT 30: | |
Manufacturer | German arms companies Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann |
crew | Driver, commander, gunner and 7 soldiers infantry |
Task | Transport of infantry in firefight |
top speed | 100km/h |
Range | 1000 kilometers |
Armament: | 30 mm MK 30-2/ABM machine gun, SPIKE LR (anti-tank guided missile) missile system |
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) recently exclusively announced in an interview that the RCH-155 copies for the Ukraine will be replaced by the Bundeswehr as soon as possible Merkur.de at. The chairwoman of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee explained at a meeting in Munich: “The new tank howitzer will also be purchased.”
Boxer RCT 30: Wheeled armored vehicles are to become the “medium forces” of the Bundeswehr
However, the new boxers have an important function in the German army. “In the current structure, there is a gap between the light forces, which are fast but not very assertive and sustainable, and the heavy, mechanized forces that are comparatively difficult to deploy,” writes the Bundeswehr. This refers to Leopard 2 main battle tanks and Puma infantry fighting vehicles. “The wheel-based middle forces should close this gap in the future.”
At the end of March it was announced that Boris Pistorius’ (SPD) Federal Ministry of Defense was purchasing more than 100 new Boxer-type wheeled armored vehicles for the Bundeswehr. It is still unclear in which version. (pm)
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