Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle

Rheinmetall Defence Australia was announced as the preferred tenderer for the AU$5.2 billion LAND 400 Phase 2 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle program to replace the Australian Army's ageing Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV).

As part of the deal, the first 25 vehicles will be built in Germany as part of the technology transfer process, while Rheinmetall Defence Australia will build the remaining 186 vehicles at the company's Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in south-east Queensland.

Army will accept 133 reconnaissance variants of the Boxer, equipped with Rheinmetall's Lance 30mm automatic cannon turret, alongside command-and-control, joint fires, surveillance, ambulance, and battlefield repair and recovery variants for a full Boxer fleet of 211 vehicles.

Rheinmetall's Boxer program will support a range of Australian industry partners, sourcing specialised armoured steel from Australian steel companies BlueScope Steel and Bisalloy, with engineering support provided by Melbourne-based Supacat Asia Pacific.

LAND 400 Phase 2 is scheduled to achieve final operational capability in 2027, after which the Rheinmetall workforce will be used to support sustainment, progressive development, and upgrades to the Boxer CRV from its local facility.