The Australian-made troop carrier built like a tank

afr.com:

Bigger, faster, stronger. The next-generation Boxer armoured vehicles being made in Australia by German defence giant Rheinmetall are in high demand in armies around the world.

The Boxer, which is being manufactured at Rheinmetall Defence Australia’s factory at Redbank, near Ipswich in south-east Queensland, is almost twice the size of the current Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV), but is still faster.

Despite the Boxer weighing 24 tonnes (or 38.5 tonnes in combat configuration) it can still travel at a maximum speed of 103 kilometres per hour, pipping the ASLAV (13.4 tonnes) which has a top speed of 100 kilometres per hour.

It also has significant firepower that includes a 30mm cannon and 7.62mm machine gun, while some Boxers also have the capacity for anti-tank guided missiles.

The Boxer, which carries three crew and up to four others, is installed with the latest laser warning detection system and a high level of blast protection.

The Australian army has already ordered 211 of the Boxers to replace the ASLAV, which has been used extensively since 1996 but is being phased out.

The German government this week placed an order for 100 Boxer heavy weapon carriers as part of a $1 billion deal with the federal government.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed the deal with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday, which could be a downpayment for Australia’s biggest export defence contract.

It also puts Rheinmetall in the box seat to win the Australian army’s infantry fighting vehicle contract, which was controversially scaled back in the Defence Strategic Review.

Mr Albanese sees the deal as crucial to underpinning ties with Germany, not just bilaterally but also as a conduit to the broader European Union