In recent days – after not very fortunate for the manufacturer information about the rejection of Boxers by Slovenia – information appeared about the progress of two variants of these transporters. The first news came about a technology demonstrator integrated with the eight-chamber Brimstone anti-tank guided missile launcher presented at the Defense Vehicles Dynamics 2022 exhibition. The second is the Boxer MWS120, designed to support infantry on the battlefield and provide indirect fire support. The presented variants meet the general plans to increase the firepower of the Boxers, which will be used in the British Army.
Boxer with Brimstones is the result of MBDA’s collaboration with Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL). The vehicle in this version is offered to the British Army as part of the Mounted Close Combat Overwatch (MCCO) program – the acquisition of vehicles with effectors that will allow fighting armored vehicles at long distances. The wheeled Boxer tank destroyers with Brimstones 3 are intended for heavy mechanized infantry and will serve as support for artillery in fighting targets deep down in the preparation of the enemy. The proposed NLOS class effectors (Non-Line Of Sight), i.e. those that fight targets beyond the operator’s field of view, can be an element of fire support on the battlefield.
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In the case of the British program, the requirements are clear: the effectors should have a range of at least 10 kilometers and a mass not exceeding 80 kilograms. MBDA meets both conditions by proposing the third generation of missiles. Missiles can hit targets more than 20 kilometers away. They are 1.8 meters long and are equipped with semi-active laser guided (SAL) or millimeter radio-guided heads with a frequency of 94 GHz. It is worth recalling that the Brimstones were selected in the Polish program of the Ottokar-Brzoza tank destroyer.
Brimstone 3 in an eight container launcher on the Boxer.
(RBSL)
The German vehicle is proposed as a solution in the Mounted Close Combat Overwatch (MCCO) sub-program, which is one of the pillars of the Battle Group Organic Anti-Armor (BGOAA) program, assuming the development of anti-tank capabilities of the British land forces. The way to achieve this will be the development and introduction to service in the British Army in the early 1930s of a family of anti-tank guided missile carriers.
Boxer with MBDA Brinstone launcher # DVD2022 pic.twitter.com/Ws35p1ygeG
– Jon Hawkes (@ JonHawkes275) September 21, 2022
Thanks to this, it will be possible to maintain the anti-tank capabilities of the reduced army. The new tank destroyers will become part of the future Heavy Brigade Combat Team and Deep Recce Strike Brigade Combat Team. Boxers, Overwatches, and unmanned ground platforms will work with the Challenger 3 Main Battle Tanks.
As part of the MCCO, the British Army will find a replacement for the FV438 Swingfire and FV102 Striker missile tank destroyers. The tank destroyer program assumes the use of Boxer and Ajax chassis and unmanned vehicles, in particular the THeMIS platform, or trucks with installed container launchers.
MCCO also allows for the implementation of quite unusual structures into the service. This is related to the joint proposal of Supacat and MBDA. The HMT Overwatch light tank destroyer is a combination of the Supacat HMT 600 (High Mobility Transport) chassis with the eight-chamber Brimstone 3 launcher. The MBDA offers system integration with the Forsberg FTL (Fused Target Locator) and the Mantis battlefield management system. Due to the possibility of integrating the launcher with trucks, there were already concepts of placing it on MAN SV high-mobility trucks in May 2021. Such a carrier may have even more than fifty bullets in an ISO container.
(Supacat)
Meanwhile, at the Copehill Down facility in the Salisbury Plain, the first successful firing of a self-propelled mortar based on the Boxer Transporter and equipped with the MWS120 Ragnarok system. It was designed specifically for Great Britain, which ordered 28 vehicles in this configuration and does not exclude further orders, emphasizing that infantry fire support, including indirect, plays an important role on the battlefield today.
The Boxer self-propelled mortar variant was unveiled in September 2021. For its first presentation, the Boxer was equipped with a Rheinmetall Norway-designed 81mm MWS81 semi-automatic mortar. RBSL engineers based in Telford were responsible for the overall design and system integration. The vehicle is manned by a four-person crew, the mission module will ultimately allow for the operation of a three-person crew: the gunner (at the rear of the vehicle) and the commander and driver (at the front).
Boxer during testing of the MWS120 mission module, September 2022.
(RBSL)
Fire is fired from inside the vehicle through a two-piece cover in the ceiling that folds out to the sides. The rate of fire is in the range of 16–18 rounds per minute. The horizontal angle of fire reaches 270 degrees. The self-propelled mortar is able to perform the shoot and scoot tactic, which consists in firing a projectile and immediately changing the fire position. In the event of damage to the vehicle or its immobilization for other reasons, it is possible to dismantle the mortar and shoot from outside the carrier.
Targeting is fully automatic and can be done using independent digital fire control systems that are not offered with the mortar. The manufacturer declares that the MWS120 mission module can be equipped with mortars of various calibers and manufacturers, according to the customer’s needs. The presented armament was built using a technique that reduces the force of recoil. Therefore, they can also be installed on other light and medium vehicles, training for soldiers is to be easier, and the armament of the armed forces is to be further standardized.
The manufacturer ensures that during the development, he focused on the highest possible rate of fire, modularity and not too high price. The self-propelled mortar based on the Boxer will also be offered to other Boxer users: the Netherlands, Lithuania and Australia. The Germans do not intend to invest in this variant of the Boxer, but perhaps the MWS81 or MWS120 module will be used during the modernization of Fuchs armored personnel carriers.
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