German Army plans Boxer heavy weapon carrier

The Bundeswehr's Wiesel weapon carrier will be replaced by the Boxer wheeled armoured vehicle, according to a presentation to the German Army Headquarters Infantry Symposium in Hammelburg at the beginning of November.

The German Army said on its website on 19 November that the Boxer heavy weapon carrier would be armed with the same 30 mm cannon as the Puma infantry fighting vehicle and Mehrrollenfähiges leichtes Lenkflugkörper-System (Multirole-capable Light Missile System, MELLS), the Bundeswehr's designation for Spike LR. Its turret will be equipped with a 360° vision system and warning and observation systems.

The new weapon carrier is expected to increase the sustainability, mobility, and compared to the Wiesel, the protection of German infantry units.

Planning calls for training to begin on the new heavy weapon carrier in 2025, with the first three infantry battalions to be equipped with the system by 2027.