The agreement will see 623 vehicles produced in the UK (Image: Rheinmetall)
has unveiled 623 state-of-the-art armoured fighting vehicles as the looks to bolster its firepower amidst rising global tensions.
The Boxer armoured vehicles, which can be adapted to suit a range of military tasks, were unveiled at the International Armoured Vehicle Conference by the Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, .
The fully British-made vehicle was the product of a £5billion investment in armoured vehicles, aimed at strengthening the British industry and supporting 6,000 jobs nationwide, including 400 in Telford and Stockport and a thousand across the UK supply chain.
Ms Eagle said: “The first fully British-made Boxer (is) a testament to the expertise and innovation of Britain’s growing Defence Industry.
“The home-grown production of this world-class vehicle exemplifies our Government’s Plan for Change, deepening our partnership with industry to deliver thousands of highly skilled jobs and drive growth across the UK.”
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Boxer can be modified to perform a vast array of military tasks (Image: Rheinmetall)
The Boxer vehicle can be easily modified to perform eight separate roles, including logistics, signals or combat vehicle.
The procurement comes alongside 148 Challenger 3 tanks as the military seeks to in their fight against .
is midway through a strategic review which the Government says will “consider the threats Britain faces, the capabilities needed to meet them, the state of UK Armed Forces and the resources available.”
The presidency of likely to take an America First approach, combined with the continued Russian aggression on and threats the Kremlin regularly issues against the West, means that integration with is likely to underpin military strategy for years to come.
On Tuesday (January 21), the entered into an agreement with Finnish defence manufacturer Patria to provide lighter armoured fighting vehicles to complement Boxer and other capabilities such as Challenger and Ajax.
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Several Nato allies have already purchased Patria’s vehicle (Image: Patria)
The company has produced vehicles for several countries and it is hoped that the adoption of similar platforms to Britain’s allies will allow the forces to work alongside one another seamlessly.
Hugo Vanbockryck, Senior Vice President, Market Area Europe of Patria, emphasised the need for Nato partners to embrace capabilities that are able to be produced en masse should threats increase.
He said: “Europe needs collaboration and joint procurements and the UK rapidly needs a cost-effective, fully developed, off-the-shelf vehicle platform.
“Patria 6×6 is already in production, fielded by NATO partner nations and will be manufactured and supported locally in the UK to meet the high requirements and technical standards of the British Army.”
The move was welcomed by Former Army Officer Neil Shastri-Hurst, who told Express.co.uk: “I fully endorse the agreement between Patria and Babcock. Industrial and defence capability ties across Europe are crucial as we face ever-changing geopolitical pressures. This agreement embodies the strength of our historic relationship with Finland.”