The Munich-based tank builder KMW introduces a new version of the Boxer. The heavy weapon on it comes from the Puma. And something else is different.
Munich - Munich-based tank builder Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) has unveiled the latest version of its Boxer wheeled tank for land forces. It is intended to raise the operational readiness of the Bundeswehr army to another level.
Boxer RCT 30: Army of the Bundeswehr has new wheeled tank in prospect
We are talking about the BOXER RCT 30 - the exact name of the model. An "increase in combat value" is the decisive innovation compared to previous variants of the wheeled tank, which has been in service with the Bundeswehr since 2009. And the infantry, i.e. ground troops, should travel protected to missions or even to a possible battlefield.
Armament, innovation, plans of the Bundeswehr - Merkur.de explains the new wheeled tank for the German army:
The BOXER RCT30 from KMW: The latest version of the Bundeswehr wheeled tank carries the unmanned weapon turret of the Puma. © KMW
The main feature of the RCT 30 is the 30 mm on-board automatic cannon (type MK 30-2 / ABM) of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle. It is manufactured by the Düsseldorf-based armaments company Rheinmetall and is installed in a remote-controlled unmanned tower. It is a much more powerful and larger weapon than the previous remote-controlled light weapon station (FLW) from KMW.
Bundeswehr wheeled tank: Boxer RCT 30 has weapon system of the Puma
Because on the FLW, as a rule, a machine gun of 12,7 mm caliber was installed. With the 30 mm on-board machine gun, the soldiers are able to effectively fight 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 with tube artillery or mortar from the drive.
Ralf Ketzel, Managing Director Krauss-Maffei Wegmann
0
Also Read
Sudden negotiations? Putin and Zelensky are said to have agreed to the initiative
READ
Fighter jet turnaround for Ukraine? Two NATO countries plan "coalition"
READ
Putin's bloodhound Kadyrov makes wild accusations: his favorite horse was allegedly kidnapped
READ
Heavy losses for Russia: Ukraine uses kamikaze drones
READ
Germany probably paid Putin millions for Nord Stream tubes in 2022 - Habeck's ministry: "Confidential"
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
The new Boxer was explicitly presented as a new combat vehicle based on the four-axle troop transporter. "The Boxer RCT 30 combines the high mobility and superior protection of the Boxer with the firepower of the Puma," KMW writes on its website. "Technologically unique in the world is the ability to fire with tube artillery or mortar from the fly," KMW Managing Director Ralf Ketzel told dpa on Tuesday (16 May) on the sidelines of the presentation.
The RCH155 from KMW: The weapon system of the self-propelled howitzer 2000 is placed on the chassis of the boxer together with the turret. © KMW
Only recently, KMW presented the newly developed RCH 155 wheeled howitzer. Currently, 18 pieces are 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 (13/14 May).
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 self-propelled howitzer 2000 is mounted on it - including the massive smoothbore cannon. Due to the unmanned artillery gun module (AGM), the crew is limited to two soldiers; a driver and a commander. Everything should be automatic, 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 be fired at full speed.
| Boxer RCT 30 wheeled tank: | |
| Manufacturer | German armaments companies Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann |
| Crew | Driver, commander, gunner and 7 infantry soldiers |
| Task | Transportation of infantry in a firefight |
| Maximum speed | 100 km/h |
| Reach | 1000 kilometers |
| Armament: | 30 mm MK 30-2/ABM on-board machine cannon, SPIKE LR (anti-tank guided missile) guided missile system |
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) recently announced exclusively in an interview with Merkur.de that the RCH-155 examples for Ukraine will be replaced by the Bundeswehr as soon as possible. The chairwoman of the Bundestag's Defense Committee explained at an appointment in Munich that the RCH-<> copies for Ukraine will be replaced as soon as possible.
Boxer RCT 30: Wheeled tanks to become "medium forces" of the Bundeswehr army
The new boxers, however, have an important function in the German army. "In the current structure, there is a gap between the fast, but not very assertive and persistent light forces and the heavy mechanized, but comparatively difficult to relocate," writes the Bundeswehr. This refers to Leopard 2 main battle tanks and Puma infantry fighting vehicles. " The wheel-based intermediate forces are intended to close this gap in the future."
At the end of March, it became known that the Federal Ministry of Defense of Boris Pistorius (SPD) is purchasing more than 100 new Boxer wheeled tanks for the Bundeswehr. It is still unclear in which version. (pm)
