Suspension flaw sidelines Dutch armed forces' vital carriers
The Dutch army has temporarily lost a significant portion of its Boxer armoured personnel carriers due to a suspension defect that necessitates a service campaign. The vehicles can only return to service once repairs are completed.
According to the Dutch daily newspaper "Eindhovens Dagblad," the defect has been identified in about 70 out of the 200 Boxer armoured personnel carriers in the Dutch army's inventory. These carriers are critical, especially as Amsterdam has recently started to prioritize its armed forces' needs, which have been deprived of tanks since 2011.
Service action for Dutch armoured vehicles
A spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Defence confirmed that the defective vehicles have been sent to two military workshops (in Oirschot and Havelt) for repairs, scheduled to begin on Monday, February 17. The repairs are anticipated to take "a few weeks."
“The identified shortcomings will be addressed in cooperation with our industry in the shortest possible time, ensuring the safe reintegration of the equipment into service,” said the spokesperson.
The revealed information indicates that the problem involves a bolt that was tightened using the wrong machine, resulting in excessive force. This caused deformation of some chassis components and posed a risk of significant damage under heavy loads.
German-Dutch Boxer armoured personnel carrier
The Boxer is an armoured personnel carrier based on an 8x8 chassis, measuring about 8 metres in length. With an engine producing over 700 horsepower, it can reach speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour. The Boxer is produced by the consortium ARTEC GmbH, which includes two companies – Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall.
It adheres to a modular architecture design, allowing it to be tailored to specific user requirements and facilitating potential upgrades. According to the Dutch Ministry of Defence's official website, the Dutch army uses five different variants of this transporter, including command vehicles, medical vehicles, Boxer Cargo, training vehicles, and vehicles for engineering troops.
In September 2024, Dutch authorities announced plans to purchase additional Boxer armoured personnel carriers, specifically the RCT30, equipped with a 30 mm automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm machine gun.
