Germany, Netherlands spend $4 billion on Boxer-based fighting vehicles

COLOGNE, Germany — Germany and the Netherlands are slated to get hundreds of newly developed Jackal wheeled infantry fighting vehicles under a multibillion-dollar deal, co-producer Rheinmetall announced on Monday.

The €3.4 billion ($4 billion) contract, handled by European defense-acquisition body OCCAR, will see 150 combat vehicles go to the German Bundeswehr and 72 to the Dutch forces.

Based on the Boxer wheeled chassis, known for its modular utility in a variety of defense applications, the Jackal, or Schakal in German, features the turret and 30mm main gun of the Puma, a tracked light tank for heavier forces.

The armed forces of neighbors Germany and the Netherlands routinely cooperate on weapons purchases and joint command of segments of their forces.

Rheinmetall said its portion of the Jackal deal amounts to almost €3 billion. The company is tied with KNDS Germany under the joint venture Artec for all things Boxer.

According to OCCAR, the latest Boxer variant brings the organization’s investment portfolio devoted to the vehicle to €10 billion.

Germany recently ordered battlefield ambulances based on the vehicle chassis. Additional developments in the pipeline include a bridge-laying version for river crossings as well as a howitzer using Germany’s Panzerhaubitze 2000.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

德国科隆——莱茵金属公司周一宣布，根据一项价值数十亿美元的协议，德国和荷兰将获得数百辆新开发的“豺狼”轮式步兵战车。

这份价值 34 亿欧元（40 亿美元）的合同由欧洲防务采购机构 OCCAR 负责，将向德国联邦国防军提供 150 辆作战车辆，向荷兰军队提供 72 辆。

豺狼（德语：Schakal）以拳击手轮式底盘为基础，拳击手轮式底盘因其在各种国防应用中的模块化实用性而闻名，豺狼配备了美洲狮的炮塔和30毫米主炮，美洲狮是一款用于重型部队的履带式轻型坦克。

邻国德国和荷兰的武装部队经常在武器采购和部分部队的联合指挥方面进行合作。

莱茵金属公司表示，其在Jackal交易中的份额接近30亿欧元。该公司与德国KNDS公司通过合资企业Artec共同负责Boxer的所有业务。

据 OCCAR 称，最新款 Boxer 车型使该组织在该车型上的投资组合达到 100 亿欧元。

德国最近订购了基于该车辆底盘的战场救护车。其他正在研发的项目包括用于渡河的架桥车以及使用德国“装甲榴弹炮2000”的榴弹炮。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。