Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle

Oct 2015
CRV SOLUTION
PROFILE
Boxer Combat
Reconnaissance Vehicle
S P E C I A L
S U P P L E M E N T
CONTENTS
OCT 2015
BOXER CRV
A future solution
available today
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
Rheinmetall Land 400 Bid
Boxer CRV Profile
From the Bid Team
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RHEINMETALL LAND 400 BID
The MOTS/MOTS Plus offer
PROJECT LAND 400 Phase 2 will deliver up to 225 Combat
Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) to the Australian Army and
provide a significant enhancement to the Mounted Combat
Reconnaissance Capability.
Rheinmetall offers a military off the shelf (MOTS) vehicle
for Land 400 – the Boxer CRV – that delivers protection for
Australian troops like no other 8x8 in its class. The Boxer CRV
is designed to perform at the very high levels of protection
demanded by Land 400 Phase 2 and is perfectly aligned
with the Consolidated Operational Needs priorities where
protection is king.
Rheinmetall’s MOTS Plus offering will comprise the Boxer
fitted with the in-service Lance two-man 30mm turret.
No other CRV is designed to operate at the protection levels
offered by the combat-proven Boxer. Unlike competitor vehicles,
the Boxer CRV balances the key military requirements of
protection, mobility and firepower in an unrivalled combination
that can be rapidly transitioned into service and easily supported
through-life.
The key features of the Rheinmetall Land 400 bid include:
Unparalleled Survivability: Boxer CRV can survive against the
full spectrum of battlefield threats including small arms, heavy
machine guns, kinetic threats, mines, NBC contaminants and
improvised explosive devices (IED) using its unique modular and
upgradeable survivability system.
Commitment to Australian Industry Capability: Rheinmetall
has an enduring commitment to creating and sustaining
jobs in Australia. This will see Australian small-to-medium
sized enterprises provided with access to long-term export
opportunities within the company’s global supply chain.
Low Risk: Rheinmetall is uniquely positioned to provide the
complete, fully integrated Boxer CRV mission system – vehicle,
turret, integrated logistic support, simulation and ammunition –
from one supplier, including access to intellectual property.
Value for Money: The Boxer CRV offering to the Australian
Army will keep costs competitive, while Rheinmetall engineering
eclipses all other options when it comes to sustainable throughlife support.
The battle proven BOXER 8X8 CRV, LANCE turret
and C4ISR solution for the Australian Army’s
LAND 400 program.
BOXER is combat proven and ready for delivery.
This means a low risk solution for the Australian Army
and low costs through the life of the vehicle.
www.boxercrv.com.au
RIGHT: A Boxer 8x8 of the
German Army operating
in Afghanistan. Image:
Bundeswehr
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CRV SOLUTION PROFILE
CRV SOLUTION PROFILE
Boxer Combat
Reconnaissance Vehicle
THE BOXER COMBAT RECONNAISSANCE VEHICLE (CRV)
proposed by Rheinmetall to meet the Australian Army’s Mounted
Combat Reconnaissance Capability requirement under Phase 2 of
Land 400 is the effective integration of two military-off-the-shelf
systems: the Boxer 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle and the Lance
two-man 30mm turret.
Considered by many to be the ‘gold standard’ in 8x8 armoured
fighting vehicles (AFV), Boxer’s design origins speak volumes
about its compatibility with the two Land 400 Phase 2 capability
priorities of protection and mobility.
From the outset, Boxer was designed to have class-leading
protection and crew survivability as standard, and it was designed
to be highly mobile at these high protection levels. Out of the box,
without modification or upgrade.
The addition of the Lance turret addresses the third priority of
lethality, the world’s most advanced medium-calibre cannon turret
providing an ideal blend of firepower, range, rate-of-fire (ROF),
stowed kills and programmable 30mm ammunition natures.
The high protection philosophy at the heart of Boxer’s design
is aligned with coalition combat experience over the last 15
years, during which inadequately protected armoured vehicles
were quickly relegated to non-deployable status. The lesson was
clear: improve protection against more powerful kinetic threats,
explosively formed projectiles, mines and IEDs to maintain
operational relevance and enhance crew/occupant survivability.
The Boxer baseline vehicle has been proven and qualified by
easily the most exhaustive design and development program
the armoured vehicle industry has ever seen, with 12 prototypes
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SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
in nine different variants put through extensive reliability
and durability trials. Trials vehicles accumulated more than
190,000km of test driving, spread over 4,700 trial days.
The Boxer development program met some 1,600 separate
technical, engineering, performance and capability requirements.
PROTECTION CONCEPT
The Boxer CRV features a multi-layer pretection concept and
survivability cell that provides a unique overmatch capability to
mimimise the ‘catastrophic kill’ risk from mine blasts and IEDs.
The mission module survivability cell has a triple floor and angled
sides to deflect blast, sitting like a hammock in the drive module
and effectively decoupling it from the blast. The double-skinned
drive module also absorbs critical blast deformation.
This underlying design philosophy ensures the Boxer CRV has
multi-hit capability and sufficient residual mobility following an
attack.
Even the engine, which is situated in an L-shape in front of the
driving compartment, adds another layer of protection to crew
and occupants against over-penetrating projectiles.
The vehicle’s external profile and design also assists in
increasing survivability, taking advantage of stealth design
techniques and generation of low acoustic, infrared and radar
signatures. An example of this is the extra effort that was made
to ensure that hot components such as the engine were thermally
isolated through the use of decoupled and actively cooled plates
on the front of the vehicle and the careful consideration of engine
cooling and exhaust efflux towards the ground.
DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY REVIEW | OCT 2015
LEFT: The German Army first deployed Boxer to Afghanistan in
July 2011 and continued operating more than 30 vehicles into 2013.
Image: Bundeswehr
The vehicle can accept a variety of external armour packages
depending on the required protection level, including ceramic
appliqué and Rheinmetall’s Active Defence System.
In addition to class-leading protection against heavy machine
guns, medium-calibre cannon and artillery fragments, Boxer
CRV is protected against all types of anti-personnel and anti-tank
mines, IEDs and nuclear, chemical and biological threats.
As proposed for Phase 2 of Land 400, it is understood that
the Boxer CRV meets and exceeds the project’s very demanding
protection requirements for kinetic threats over the frontal arc and
mine/IED blast under the wheels and centreline of the vehicle.
The location of flammable liquids also adds to Boxer CRV’s
overall survivability. For instance, there is no fuel or hydraulic
oil inside the vehicle: the fuel tanks are contained in the rear of
the drive module and the actuator for the rear ramp is positioned
outside the mission module.
The drop-in mission modules, 10 of which have been developed
and qualified including that for the infantry fighting vehicle (IFV)
variant, are secured to the drive module by just four M32 bolts,
with the associated hoses and electrical connections. This enables
modules to be swapped out in theatre within 30 minutes.
With the drive module common across all variants, the mission
module concept also allows for ‘pooling’ of module versions
to provide flexibility in procurement and deployment. As with
Dutch and German army Boxers, all seven variants of the Boxer
CRV family would share an identical drive module.
In May 2012, Rheinmetall completed trials of the Boxer IFV
variant at its test centre in Unterluss, demonstrating the successful
integration of the Lance turret with a modified mission module.
EXTREME MOBILITY
In keeping with the original brief that the vehicle must be able to
follow a Leopard 2 main battle tank cross-country, Boxer’s tactical
mobility requirements have been qualified at the maximum
combat weight and under the most extreme environmental
conditions. Mobility trials included testing in various locations
in Europe, the Middle East and German Army-sponsored hot/
dry trials in Australia in 2010 where the top recorded temperature
was 56° Celsius.
At the core of the Boxer CRV’s high mobility is the MTU 8V199
TE20 720hp (536kW) V8 multi-fuel engine coupled to a 7-speed
Allison HD4070 automatic transmission. Large power reserves
accommodate future vehicle growth and provide motive power
for the combat laden vehicle across any terrain without taxing
the engine, thereby delivering lower through-life support and
maintenance costs. The powerpack can be changed out in the field
in less than 30 minutes.
The powertrain is joined by a driveline that features
independent suspension for all wheels, permanent 8x8 drive with
BOXER CRV
CAPABILITY SNAPSHOT
UNRIVALLED PROTECTION
EXTREME MOBILITY
IN SERVICE & PROVEN
FULLY INTEGRATED
World’s best protected 8x8
armoured vehicle
Engineered for high mobility
in all terrain
MOTS, combat proven
and in production
Hull and turret fully integrated,
qualified
Meets all Land 400 protection
requirements
Optimised powertrain, driveline,
suspension & handling
Serving with three NATO armies
Open digital electronic
architecture
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CRV SOLUTION PROFILE
four axle differentials and two inter-axle differentials, central tyre
inflation system for the 27-inch Michelin X-Force XML run-flat
tyres, anti-skid braking and steering mechanisms located above
the wheels in protected positions.
Maximum speed of the Boxer CRV is 103km/h, complemented
by a 1,050km road range for outstanding endurance, operational
mobility and self-deployability.
LANCE TURRET
In service with the Spanish Marine Corps since 2011, the
Rheinmetall Lance turret is a state-of-the-art system that can be
fitted to almost any wheeled or tracked AFV.
To align with the reconnaissance role and end user community
familiarity, the Lance turret on Boxer CRV is of two-man
configuration to provide maximum situational awareness,
observation, vehicle control and flexibility.
With its modular design, Lance can also be configured for
unmanned, remotely-controlled operation to reduce weight and
free-up internal hull volume.
Armed with the Mauser/Rheinmetall MK30-2/ABM (Air Burst
Munition) dual-feed automatic 30mm cannon and 7.62mm coaxial machine gun supported by advanced sensors and sighting
systems, the Lance turret enables targets to be engaged with
precision out to 3,000m and has true hunter-killer capability. The
MK30-2 is a well-proven, highly versatile weapon and in various
configurations is used in both ground and air defence roles.
The Lance turret has 200 ready-use rounds of 30x173mm
ammunition in two natures available at the gun, with additional
quantities of ammunition stowed in the vehicle. A unique feature
of the Lance turret is its compartmentalised ammunition, which
is stored outside of the crew compartment thus substantially
increasing survivability.
Contributing to the reduced technical and integration risk profile of the Boxer CRV bid, Rheinmetall has ownership of
the majority of high technology sub-systems which comprise the
CRV SOLUTION PROFILE
Lance turret, including motion electronics, stabilisation systems,
electro-optics, sights, sensors and fire control system, as well as all
the associated hardware and software architecture and interfaces.
No third parties are required.
This would enable Rheinmetall to offer the Lance turret into
future phases of Land 400, therefore assuring commonality
between Phase 2 and Phase 3 vehicles. The modular build
approach of the turret lends itself to this approach and would
address customer concerns about turret commonality across the
Land 400 fleet.
This elevates the Boxer CRV to a position where it is the only
solution for Phase 2 of Land 400 that is able to be supplied and
supported by the one original equipment manufacturer.
BELOW LEFT: The Lance two-man turret is equipped with a stateof-the-art, fully digital fire control system, two electro-optical
sights – each equipped with a high-resolution camera, thermal
imaging camera and laser rangefinder – and a stabilised 360°
panoramic vision system. Image: Spanish MoD
FAST FACTS
• Boxer development and trials program is documented by more than
3,000 pages of test reports and certification reports.
• The Dutch and German armies ordered a first batch of 472 Boxers in
nine variants, with series production commencing in 2009.
• Delivery of the 300th Boxer took place on 19 June 2015.
• Active production of Boxer for Germany and the Netherlands continues.
• A follow-on contract for a second batch of 131 Boxer vehicles in the A2
configuration for Germany is anticipated soon, with delivery scheduled in
the 2017-2020 timeframe.
• Upgrade of German Army Boxers to the A2 configuration is also planned.
SPECIFICATIONS – BOXER CRV
Length/Width7.93m/2.99m
Height (turret roof)3.24m
Ground Clearance500mm
Maximum Speed/Range103kmh/1,050km
Gradient/Side Slope60%/30%
Vertical Step/Trench Crossing800mm/2m
Turning Circle15m
Protected Internal Volume16m³
Crew3 plus 6 dismounts
Main Armament MK30-2/ABM, 30mm
LEFT: The Rheinmetall Boxer CRV package is the only Phase 2
Land 400 candidate solution available from a single OEM.
Image: Rheinmetall
BOXER CRV
Fight. Win. Survive.
The battle proven BOXER 8X8 CRV, LANCE turret
and C4ISR solution for the Australian Army’s LAND 400 program.
BOXER provides Australian soldiers
with the highest protection levels of any
8x8 on the planet.
www.boxercrv.com.au
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DTR
DTR
From the Bid Team
Rheinmetall’s bid team lead, Ben
Hudson, provides his perspective on
what makes the Boxer CRV such
a strong candidate for Phase 2 of
Land 400.
What differentiates Rheinmetall’s offer for Land 400?
We offer a low risk, off-the-shelf vehicle and turret with a very
high level of compliance to the key requirements, particularly
regarding survivability. Both vehicle and turret are in service
right now and fully qualified as an integrated capability package.
Boxer was developed with the levels of protection sought by the
Commonwealth, it has been fully qualified for the German and
Dutch Armies and seen active service in Afghanistan. When you
combine Boxer’s class-leading protection with the most modern
manned medium calibre turret in service today, exceptionally
high levels of mobility and a 5th generation C4ISR system,
the Boxer CRV will allow our soldiers to fight, win and most
importantly survive on the battlefield like no other vehicle.
Why is Boxer’s survivability so high?
Boxer was designed from the outset for the full spectrum
battlefield – it doesn’t need upgrades or add-ons to meet the Land
400 requirements. Boxer has many unique survivability features
such as the decoupled survivability cell and the triple redundant
mine protection system. To give you an idea of the engineering
that went into Boxer during its development I would like to
mention one of the lesser known aspects.
Conventional 8x8 vehicles have an in-line engine-transmission
configuration that places the driver next to the engine. Boxer
doesn’t follow this approach; the engine is mounted at 90˚ to the
transmission in an L-shape and the driver and crew sit behind the
engine, which is more than 1,000kg of steel. Even if the armour
on the front of the vehicle is penetrated the crew has a high
probability of survival due to the additional protection the engine
provides. The engine is essentially part of the armour package.
Can you comment on the other highlights of your Land 400
proposal?
Yes, of course. If you think about the philosophy of giving soldiers
a system that allows them to fight, survive and win, then after
survivability you quickly arrive at lethality, mobility and C4ISR.
The Boxer CRV features the mature Lance turret that can
engage the complete spectrum of threats through the application
of scalable non-lethal and lethal effects. Lance is also uniquely
aware of its environment through its multi-spectral situational
awareness system that automatically detects threats for the crew,
substantially decreasing workload and engagement times.
Boxer was designed to operate alongside combat vehicles of the
German Army, including Leopard 2; it has the most powerful
engine of any 8x8, a 1,000km road range, a unique suspension
system and a custom designed tyre with a central tyre inflation
system that enhances mobility in soft soil conditions. Boxer is
virtually unstoppable off-road.
BOXER CRV IS AS
SURVIVABLE, MOBILE
AND LETHAL AS ANY
CONVENTIONAL IFV
Rheinmetall and our partners, Northrop Grumman and
Supacat, will integrate the mandated C4ISR system and also
demonstrate an open architecture 5th generation C4ISR
system that seamlessly integrates Boxer CRV within joint and
coalition environments. With the Lance sensor suite and this 5th
generation C4ISR system, Boxer CRV will be akin to a land-based
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and deliver the outcomes sought by
Defence under Plan Jericho.
Boxer CRV is also as survivable, mobile and lethal as any
conventional IFV, wheeled or tracked. If selected for Phase 2 then
additional troop seats can be added to the vehicle in under an hour
that allow Boxer CRV to lift an infantry section, thus transforming
it into the most capable wheeled IFV available today.
Using Boxer CRV as an interim IFV would allow Army to
operate in the Plan Beersheba construct on active operations years
before Land 400 Phase 3 delivers IFVs.
What is Rheinmetall proposing for Australian Industry
Capability (AIC)?
I think we will surprise a few people here as we are offering a very
significant AIC package.
What I can say now is that Rheinmetall has been open about
the further internationalisation of our business and we see Land
400 as a unique opportunity for the company to significantly
expand our presence in the region.
The result will be a very favourable outcome for Australia,
leading to the creation of sustainable high technology jobs that
will benefit not only Defence but the wider Australian economy.
Ben Hudson is the President of the Combat Platforms Business Unit and
CEO of Rheinmetall Land Systeme GmbH. Ben is responsible for leading
the tracked vehicle, turret, counter-IED and airport equipment business of
Rheinmetall, including key projects such as the production of the Puma IFV.
Prior to joining Rheinmetall Ben held senior roles with General Dynamics,
BAE Systems and was an officer in the Australian Army, his service including
deployment to East Timor and tenure in DMO on projects including ASLAV,
Bushranger and Land 121.
BOXER CRV
Integrated capability
The battle proven BOXER 8X8 CRV, LANCE turret
and C4ISR solution for the Australian Army’s LAND 400 program.
Designed from the ground up to deliver
the best protection of any 8x8 in the world,
without compromising mobility or lethality.
www.boxercrv.com.au
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