A Stockport firm is one of two armoured vehicle manufacturers to secure a significant expansion to a multi-billion pound contract with the British Army.
WFEL in Stockport and Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land in Telford have been asked to make 100 extra vehicles on top of the original £2.8bn contract agreed with the armed forces. The new deal means 623 vehicles will be made in total, with the first set to roll off the production line next year.
Now estimated to be worth over £3b, the supply chain to add these pieces of equipment to the UK's military fleet will initially see 117 of the Boxer armoured vehicles produced on German production lines, as the Telford and Stockport factories ready themselves to produce the remaining 506.
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According to Business Live, the first Boxer armoured vehicles will arrive in units from 2023, with the overall programme protecting up to 1,000 jobs nationally, including 120 at WFEL in Stockport. The deputy chief of general staff in the British Army visited WFEL's Stockport site to announce the 100 additional vehicles being commissioned.
According to WFEL, manufacture of the Boxer vehicles is already well underway at at the new specialist facility in Stockport, with the first vehicles expected next year. The 8 x 8 wheeled vehicles will be made and supplied in several configurations, with the finished Boxers being used as armoured personnel carriers, field ambulanced, command vehicles and specialist carriers.
Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin said: "This order will accelerate the delivery of the Boxer fleet to the British Army and increase its numbers. The land equipment upgrade is a vital element of the Integrated Review, on which we continue to deliver. Doing so, alongside our German allies, creates opportunities for both our Armed Forces."
The additional 100 vehicles will see extra infantry carriers, command and control vehicles, and ambulances being made for the Army's new Armoured Brigade Combat Teams. The state-of-the-art vehicles are supposed to offer far better mobility and protection than their predecessors, with a service life of over 30 years. Production began in July 2021, after technology and practices were implemented in the factory from Germany.
Chris Bushell, Director General Land, Defence Equipment and Support, the procurement arm of the Ministry of Defence, added: "This contract extension is great news for the Boxer programme and committing to buying an extra 100 vehicles demonstrates our confidence in the programme and the benefits of the capability.
"Not only is this great news for the future of the British Army but it will also boost our commitment to investing in the UK’s defence industry and supply chains, meaning we can retain critical engineering and manufacturing skills in the UK."
