{"id":67274,"date":"2026-09-15T23:28:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=67274"},"modified":"2026-09-21T23:07:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T21:07:02","slug":"this-is-the-gtk-boxer-the-german-alternative-to-the-spanish-vcr-dragon-armored-vehicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/09\/15\/this-is-the-gtk-boxer-the-german-alternative-to-the-spanish-vcr-dragon-armored-vehicle\/","title":{"rendered":"This is the GTK Boxer, the German alternative to the Spanish VCR Drag\u00f3n armored vehicle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Wheeled armored vehicles are experiencing a resurgence in the defense industry, with some models being of considerable size.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><rel><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/04\/03\/a-nostalgic-exercise-in-germany-using-old-leopard-1a5-tanks-of-danish-origin\/\">A nostalgic exercise in Germany using old Leopard 1A5 tanks of Danish origin<\/a><\/rel><br \/>\n<rel><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/09\/02\/the-bundeswehr-shows-the-g95-rifle-the-replacement-for-the-g36-in-the-german-army\/\">The Bundeswehr shows the G95 rifle, the replacement for the G36 in the German Army<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n<p><strong>Spain is participating in this trend with the VCR Drag\u00f3n<\/strong>, a model that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/01\/16\/the-long-delayed-delivery-of-40-vcr-dragon-8x8-armored-vehicles-to-the-spanish-army\/\">has experienced significant delivery delays<\/a>, sparking some controversy. Among the alternatives available on the market is <strong>the GTK Boxer, a vehicle developed by ARTEC GmbH<\/strong> \u2014a consortium formed by the German company KNDS Deutschland and the Dutch company Rheinmetall Defence Nederland B.V. (itself a subsidiary of the German firm Rheinmetall AG). <strong>The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) released a video today showcasing this model, specifically the CRV variant:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Schwerer Waffentr\u00e4ger Infanterie: Das neue Fahrzeug der Mittleren Kr\u00e4fte I Bundeswehr\" width=\"665\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dhQ9DuwSLV4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Boxer originated in 1993 as a joint project between Germany and France<\/strong>, with the United Kingdom joining in 1996. As would later happen with the FCAS, France withdrew from the project in 1996 to develop its own vehicle, the VBCI. <strong>The Netherlands joined the Boxer program in 2001<\/strong>, and the first prototype was officially unveiled late the following year.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55530738446_cfed6547ba_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55530738446_f8d23953bb_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Boxer is a modular vehicle<\/strong>, meaning it can be adapted for various missions simply by changing the mission module located at the rear of the vehicle. <strong>Germany has already purchased nine batches of vehicles across different variants<\/strong> \u2014comprising hundreds of units\u2014including transport vehicles, ambulances, command vehicles, and training vehicles.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55530845068_f5236c1821_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55530845068_469d280d03_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>The orders include Boxer CRV reconnaissance combat vehicles equipped with Lance 2 turrets<\/strong> (a variant jointly developed with Australia), featuring <strong>a 30mm automatic main gun, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and a retractable launcher capable of carrying two MELLS anti-tank missiles<\/strong> (pictured below), the European version of the Israeli Spike LR2. The turret is also equipped with 40mm ROSY smoke grenade launchers. <strong>The Boxer CRV has a three-person crew<\/strong> (driver, seated at the front; commander and gunner, in the turret). <strong>The vehicle features 8x8 drive (like the Spanish VCR Drag\u00f3n)<\/strong>, a top road speed of 103 km\/h, and an operational range of between 1,000 and 1,100 km.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55531124750_a7bebe4ae4_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55531124750_c721e7c5d8_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>The video and these photos show the first Boxer CRVs of J\u00e4gerbataillon 413<\/strong> (413th Hunter Battalion) of Panzerbrigade 21 \"Lipperland,\" a unit based in Torgelow, in the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bundeswehr.de\/de\/meldungen\/vertragsunterzeichnung-mittlere-kraefte-erhalten-123-radpanzer-5762908\" target=\"_blank\">In March 2024, the Bundeswehr signed a contract for the purchase of 123 Boxer CRVs<\/a>, with the initial delivery of a test vehicle in May 2024, 19 production units in 2025, and the remaining 103 to be delivered between 2026 and 2030.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55529713277_ffda454b34_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55529713277_9abaae21e3_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>In the German Army, the Boxer CRV replaces the<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wiesel_(weapons_carrier)\" target=\"_blank\">Rheinmetall Wiesel<\/a> (pictured above), a much smaller, highly maneuverable, and very fast light tracked vehicle. <strong>The Boxer CRV significantly improves upon its predecessor's firepower<\/strong>, while also providing crew protection and maintaining high mobility.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55530738456_23a2a45515_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55530738456_55aeaa7dd7_z.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>The difference in size works against the Boxer:<\/strong> the Wiesel was a small vehicle compared to its successor, ideal for stealthy reconnaissance missions in German forests. <strong>The Boxer CRV is geared more towards being a heavy-weapons vehicle for infantry support<\/strong>, and in this regard, it holds a significant advantage over the Wiesel.<\/p>\n<p>---<\/p>\n<p><small>Photos: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bundeswehr.de\/de\/meldungen\/scharfer-schuss-schwerer-waffentraeger-infanterie-6151462\" target=\"_blank\">Bundeswehr<\/a>.<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wheeled armored vehicles are experiencing a resurgence in the defense industry, with some models being of considerable size.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[11544,19534],"tags":[6686,16710,10972,27869,8826,27870],"class_list":["post-67274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-army","category-defense-portada-eng","tag-bundeswehr","tag-german-army","tag-gtk-boxer","tag-jagerbataillon-413","tag-panzerbrigade-21-lipperland","tag-rheinmetall-wiesel"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-11-13 22:24:38","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67274\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}