- Yes, as a tech tree vehicle
- Yes, as a premium vehicle
- Yes, as an event vehicle
- Yes, as a squadron vehicle
- No, I would not like to see the 40mm Boxer in game.
TL;DR
Pros:
- High road speed
- Good protection for its weight class
- Lethal 40mm autocannon
- High resolution thermal optics
- Javelin fire-and-forget ATGMs with 4km range
Cons:
- Poor protection against anti-tank rounds
- No active protection system
- Unclear specifics present hurdle to game implementation
History:
The history of this intriguing Boxer mission module begins near the very inception of the Boxer program back in 1996, when the United Kingdom decided to sign on as a joint producer of ARTEC GmbH’s Boxer AFV. The Boxer represented a radical departure from previous vehicle design and was very much ahead of its time, being unmatched in its vehicle class for weight, protection, and modularity. However, the UK decided that Boxer would not be worth pursing as they preferred to focus development on the FRES program and dropped out of the Boxer program in 2003.
Lockheed Martin UK’s mission module on Boxer in 2014 test firing Javelin for integration with the Warrior CSP turret.
The history of the FRES program is long and well-publicized, so I will not explain it in great detail. The important part as it pertains to this vehicle is that Lockheed Martin UK developed a turret housing the CTAS40 40mm autocannon, which was trialed and proven on the Warrior CSP. In fact, Lockheed Martin UK has been so involved in producing this component of the FRES program that they have created a Turret Centre of Excellence following their long years of development and building up their Ampthill facility.
Naturally, this was an expensive endeavor, and like most developers, Lockheed Martin UK decided to pursue export ventures in a bid to recoup costs. In 2014, Lockheed Martin UK had used what appeared to be a unique mission module on a Boxer A1 hull to integrate Javelin with the Warrior CSP turret. With Boxer being very successful in the Eurosphere, it was natural that the test rig which had already shown its worth would be refined and presented as a potential export option.
A similar (but not identical) turret born from the WCSP program was shown by Lockheed Martin UK integrated onto the popular Patria AMV in 2016.
Despite attempts to rouse interest in the export market with the previously mentioned Boxer as well as the ubiquitous Patria AMV, it doesn’t appear that Lockheed secured any sales in this department. With Boxer finally returning to the UK this year, it remains to be seen whether Lockeed Martin UK’s experience in this department will bear fruit.
Why it should be in War Thunder:
Lockheed Martin UK’s special Boxer variant has some of the most anti-armor combat potential ever found on a wheeled IFV, filling a critical role in the highest ranks of the British ground tree. It has good mobility and protection for its weight class, and the incredible firepower of the CTAS40 coupled with fire-and-forget Javelin missiles with a range of 4 kilometers. Coupled with the excellent thermal optics found on Warrior CSP, this vehicle is a keystone of the continued expansion of Britain’s upper echelons.
Unfortunately, there are some specifics about this vehicle that are unknown - its exact weight, dismount capacity, ammunition stowage and even smoke system are up in the air. In addition, the Lockheed turret can fit a pod of two Javelins on either side of its turret, although it is unclear if both sides can carry Javelin at once. I suggest this in hopes that Gaijin or other interested players can get to the bottom of it.
Specifications:
ARTEC GmbH Boxer A1 (Lockheed Martin 40mm Modular Turret)
Crew: 3 (driver, gunner, commander) + ? dismounts
Weight: ~36 tons combat load
Engine: MTU 8V199 TE20 (711 hp)
Power/Weight: ~19.5 hp/ton
Transmission: Allison HD4070 automatic transmission
Max Speed: 103 km/h road speed
Armament:
- Primary: CTAS40 40mm case-telescoped automatic cannon (55 + 15 ready rounds, 100-200 total rounds (estimated)
- Secondary: 7.62mm machine gun (not shown fitted to turret on Boxer)
- Additional: FGM-148 Javelin (pod of 2 on left or right side of turret, potentially both; potential for more stowed in hull)
Armor:
- Hull: classified, but previously stated all-round protection from 14.5mm armor piercing
- Frontal arc: medium-caliber autocannon protection
- Roof: protection from anti-tank bomblets and artillery
- Floor: protection from anti-tank mines
- Turret: Plasan composite providing protection from 14.5mm armor piercing
Additional equipment:
- Dual-axis stabilized BGTI thermal imaging sight (same as on Warrior in game, but stabilized)
- 4 x 2 smoke grenade (embarrassingly, I haven’t actually been able to confirm this, but every other Warrior CSP turret has them)
- Laser rangefinder
Sources:
- https://youtube.com/watch?v=M2kBLg5O3Hk&pp=ygUdbG9ja2hlZWQgbWFydGluIGJveGVyIGphdmVsaW4%3D
- https://web.archive.org/web/20170718164845/https://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/mfc/photo/tradeshows/ausa/LM-Datasheet-009-v1-40mm-Turrets-08-2016-SMALL.pdf
- Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle) - Wikipedia
- Lockheed Martin UK) Ltd Creates Turret Centre Of Excellence By Julian Nettlefold
- https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/37865/html/
