The British "Boxer" was severely axed and all its extended models were cancelled. The armored brigade was replaced by "Ajax"

The picture shows the British Boxer armored vehicle. (Picture taken from X@defpostmedia)

[Reporter Wu Zheyu/Comprehensive Report] The British Army's "Boxer" 8×8 wheeled armored vehicle procurement plan has undergone major adjustments. The British Ministry of Defense confirmed that it has canceled the originally planned three variants of the 120 mm mortar, maintenance and relief, and anti-tank vehicles, and also ruled out the possibility of allocating the "Boxer" to armored brigades. In the future, the "Boxer" will focus on mechanized infantry tasks and become the backbone of the British Army's mechanized forces.

The military news website "Defence Blog" reported that Luke Pollard, the Minister of State for Defense Readiness and Industry in the British Ministry of Defense, recently responded to a written question from Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty and confirmed that three original development capabilities have been deleted from the "Mechanized Infantry Vehicle Program" (MIV).

The inquiry originated from the British National Infrastructure and Services Transformation Authority. In the 2025-2026 annual report, it was recorded that the mechanized infantry fighting vehicle project was planned to be cut by 1.86 billion pounds (approximately NT$80.43 billion). Pollard pointed out that after the military realigned its resource priorities, it decided not to promote the "Boxer" armored mortar, repair and relief, and "Mounted Close Combat Overwatch" (Mounted Close Combat Overwatch) variants.

But Pollard said the operational needs still exist and the Army is evaluating other ways to meet them.

According to previous plans, the British army originally planned to allow the maintenance and relief version to achieve initial combat capability in 2029, the armored mortar version to achieve its goal in 2030, and the anti-war version to be put into use in the early 2030s.

Among them, the armored mortar type was originally planned to be equipped with a 120 mm mortar. Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land Company (RBSL) used the "Boxer" armored vehicle to test the mortar module in 2022.

The maintenance and relief type is responsible for towing and repairing damaged vehicles on the battlefield. Since the "Boxer" weighs more than 30 tons, once it loses its mobility, it requires a specialized rescue vehicle to tow it away from the battlefield.

As for the anti-tank surveillance and strike version, RBSL and European missile manufacturer MBDA have demonstrated the "Boxer" concept vehicle equipped with "Brimstone" missiles in the past.

In addition to deleting the variant, the British Army also explicitly excluded the "Boxer" from performing armored brigade missions. Pollard said that the "Boxer" will become the backbone of the mechanized infantry unit and perform tasks such as command and control, professional troop transportation and medical rescue in the 3rd Division. The specific number of distribution is still being adjusted.

As for the armored brigade units responsible for battlefield reconnaissance and cover, the tracked "Ajax" armored vehicle manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems UK will serve as the main force. The vehicle is equipped with a stabilized 40 mm cannon.

The UK rejoined the "Boxer" multinational cooperation program in 2018 and has currently purchased more than 600 8×8 wheeled armored vehicles, including infantry transport, professional transport, command and rescue versions, etc., which are produced under license from the British RBSL and KNDS UK factories, and some vehicles are supplied by German production lines.