Boxer ( armoured fighting vehicle ) The Boxer is a German - Dutch multirole armoured fighting vehicle designed to accomplish a number of operations through the use of installable mission modules . It is produced by the ARTEC GmbH ( ARmoured vehicle TEChnology ) industrial group , and the programme is being managed by OCCAR ( Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation ) . ARTEC GmbH is seated in Munich , its parent companies are Krauss - Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall on the German side , and Rheinmetall Nederland for the Netherlands . Other names are GTK ( Gepanzertes Transport Kraftfahrzeug ; " armoured transport vehicle " ) Boxer and MRAV for Multirole Armoured Vehicle . Production history . The Boxer is a cooperative European design project aimed at producing the next generation of armoured utility vehicle . The project was originally started as a joint venture between Germany , Britain and France , but France left the programme in 1999 , later to pursue their own design , the Véhicule Blindé de Combat d ' Infanterie ( VBCI ) . However , in early 2001 the Netherlands signed a Memorandum of Understanding and joined the project . In July 2003 , shortly after the start of the Iraq war , the UK Ministry of Defence announced its intention to withdraw from the Boxer programme and focus on the Future Rapid Effect System ( FRES ) . Each partner in the programme ( including the UK ) was to receive four prototypes by July 2004 . The first prototype was delivered to Germany in 2002 and was subject to evaluation trials in Germany . The first Dutch prototype was delivered in October 2003 . Production deliveries were scheduled to commence in 2004 , but the numerous design changes and political problems delayed production until 2008 . The Netherlands requires around 400 Boxers , to replace the M577 and the support variants of the YPR - 765 in the Royal Netherlands Army , with the Netherlands having already confirmed the procurement of 200 vehicles in autumn of 2006 . The fighting versions of the YPR - 765 will be replaced by the CV90 IFV . On December 13 , 2006 the German parliament approved the procurement of 272 Boxers for the German Army , to replace shares of its M113 and Fuchs TPz 1 vehicles . When the high numbers of Fuchs ´ become obsolete by 2020 , more Boxers are likely to follow . So far , about 600 Boxers are planned for the German Army . On September 23 , 2009 , the first Boxer was officially handed over to the German Federal Office of Defence , Technology and Procurement ( BWB ) . In June 2007 , the Boxer was being considered for the British FRES programme . In spring 2011 first German production vehicles with FLW200 remote weapon stations ( equipped with M2QCB machine guns and H & K 40mm GMGs ) were handed over to Infantry Battalion 292 and Mountain Infantry Battalion 231 for training and deployment to Afghanistan in the second half of 2011 . Design . The Boxer is an eight - wheeled MRAV , easily dwarfing most contemporary vehicles with its size . At 33 ton combat weight , it is also about 10 tons heavier than many other contemporary vehicles within the same role . It is designed to carry out a variety of utility missions with maximum flexibility ; this is achieved via several different " mission modules " specialized for various tasks which are available separately from the vehicle . The base vehicle is independent of the modules , and modules can be interchanged within an hour . Each module incorporates a primary safety cell with a triple floor . Known mission modules . The Boxer is built with a high degree of standardization , and designed to be maintained easily and efficiently . It is capable of being air transported in the future A400M tactical airlifter . Protection . The basic vehicle shell is composed of hard steel , and " modular armour " is sandwiched between it and the vehicle cell . The three elements are held together by fastening bolts . The modular armour , currently , is a specialized ceramic mix , but future versions of the armour can be easily fitted to the vehicle by slab replacement . The hull protects against top attack bomblets and anti - personnel mines , including suspended seats to improve crew protection from explosions below the vehicle . The vehicle is outfitted with advanced thermal , radar , and acoustic stealth technology .