First Australian-built Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles roll off assembly line

The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment to deliver capabilities to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) at pace with the first batch of Australian‑built Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) already rolling off the assembly line.

The first seven Boxers built at Rheinmetall Defence Australia’s facility at Redbank in Queensland have now been completed, marking a major milestone for our sovereign defence industry. A total of 211 Boxers will be built for the ADF under the partnership with Rheinmetall Defence Australia (RDA) that is boosting domestic supply chains and creating high-skilled jobs nationwide. This includes the 25 Boxer CRVs built in Germany and already in service with the Australian Army.

The partnership with RDA also underscores growing defence industry collaboration between Australia and Germany to deliver critical capabilities for both of our militaries. More than 50 Australian companies have been contracted to support RDA in delivering the new fleet of Boxers, providing work for more than 500 people around the country. 

In addition to these Boxers, RDA will also produce more than 100 Australian‑made Boxer Heavy Weapon Carrier vehicles for the German Army, in a contract worth more than $1 billion to the Australian economy. 

The Boxer is one of the world’s most advanced armoured vehicles – designed to keep soldiers safe in the toughest conditions. The new vehicles will provide superior protection, firepower and mobility, supporting new long-range strike capabilities that are protected and enabled by a credible, amphibious-capable combined arms land system. 

Boxer CRV variants include reconnaissance, command and control, joint fires and surveillance, repair, and recovery. The reconnaissance variant features a turret fitted with a 30mm automatic cannon and an anti‑tank guided missile system.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy:

“This announcement reflects the Albanese Government’s commitment to a future made in Australia that is providing superior protection and firepower to our ADF personnel but also supporting industry and creating jobs around the country.

“We proudly welcome the first seven Australian-built Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles, a world-class capability forged with Australian expertise and Australian steel to protect our soldiers on operations.

“Rheinmetall Defence Australia, their industry partners and a highly skilled Aussie workforce have partnered to deliver this home-grown capability for our ADF. But this partnership with Rheinmetall also shows how closely Germany and Australia are working together on critical military capabilities.”

MEDIA NOTE:

Media can access imagery/vision at http://images.defence.gov.au/S20260755