Boxer military contracts awarded to two UK defence suppliers

Crown copyright 2019
Crown copyright 2019

Telford-based defence supplier RBSL and Stockport-based WFEL have signed deals to manufacture boxer vehicles for the British Army.

The companies will produce approximately half each of the 500+ vehicles set to be supplied to the UK under the £2.3 billion contract signed with ARTEC at the end of 2019.

ARTEC is a joint venture between two German companies – Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.

The vehicles will be manufactured in the UK, with production subcontracted equally between RBSL and WFEL. The companies will undertake fabrication of the armoured vehicle structures together with assembly, integration and test of the complete vehicles at their respective facilities in Telford and Stockport.

The contract will sustain jobs at RBSL and WFEL sites across the UK, as well as a vibrant national supply chain. The plan is to source more than 60%, by value, of the contract from within the UK, protecting the UK’s sovereign engineering and manufacturing skills and ensuring that the vehicles remain supported through their 30-year operational life.

Marco Nöding, RBSL managing director, said: “RBSL’s subcontract is a great step forward after months of hard work. Working with Rheinmetall and other partners, RBSL is bringing new skills and technologies into the business and the UK supply chain.”

“I feel proud that RBSL has the opportunity to support British industry by working with UK-based suppliers – especially given the extraordinary circumstances the UK faces as a result of COVID-19. The next step for us is to formalise our community of suppliers and ensure the British Army receives their new vehicles manufactured to the highest standards.”

Ian Anderton, WFEL’s managing director, added: “The Boxer vehicles are amongst the most advanced armoured vehicles in the world and WFEL’s new state-of-the-art Boxer production hall, currently nearing completion, will be one of the most advanced military vehicle manufacturing facilities of its type.

“We are offering a significant number of long-term career opportunities for highly skilled personnel to work on producing these advanced military vehicles, which will provide key defence capabilities for the British Army as part of its Strike Brigade. We look forward to engaging with yet more supply chain partners as we move another step closer to the first of these uniquely modular military vehicles rolling off our production lines and being delivered to the British Army.”

RBSL www.rbsl.com

WFEL www.wfel.com

Company

RBSL

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