The medium forces as tactical core element

The world order that has existed since the end of the Cold War and the security environment that was painstakingly built up from it are a thing of the past. War in Europe is once again a reality, accompanied by a steady increase in regional conflicts and asymmetric threats. The technological framework is chan- ging continuously and rapidly. Digitalization, automation and the autonomization of systems have a particular influence here.

Even in the 21st century, military aggression can occur and does so quickly and largely without warning. As a most likely course of action, an aggressor will first attempt to create strategic facts by quickly capturing space. In this context, a high level of readiness and deployability of the armed forces is decisive for a credible deterrence and defense capability in the alliance.

Highly developed reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, as well as first-response forces and assets, play a central role until further forces can be brought to bear.

This need to secure areas in a responsive manner and thus project a credible contribution to the defense of Europe is particularly addressed by the Medium Forces within the land dimension.

A key feature of Medium Forces is their high mobility over long distances. Furthermore, improved reconnaissance in the group and the priority use of indirect fire make it possible to avoid dueling situations until they are relieved by Heavy Forces. To ensure a constantly high level of operational readiness and thus availability of the weapon systems, it is also necessary to have the simplest possible but highly efficient logistics.

KMW has intensive experience as a systems sup- plier in the orchestration of complete solu- tions in the interests of the customer. Together with our industrial and specialized partners, we have therefore taken up the challenge and the need: the development of modern Medium Forces with a view to assertiveness in the system network of the brigade. We will present three essential elements at the KMW Tech-Days:

• The modular BOXER concept, which provides superior mobility as well as outstanding cross-sectional logistics.
• Modern communication and command tools that allow the technological leap into digitalization.
• he involvement of UAV and UGV to obtain reconnaissance results and fulfill numerous other missions while avoiding danger to life and limb of own personnel.

Its modular nature (driving module and mission module) makes the BOXER especially well suited for the Medium Forces being discussed in various NATO countries – with combat groups on wheeled vehicles offering rapid deployment capability in national and collective defense and in international crisis management.

Military units equipped with various BOXER variants are capable of deployment in any form of combat and can also support mission fulfillment in special combat operations (such as the monitoring of specific spaces, assimilation of friendly forces or rearward protection).

The BOXER‘s driving module features off-road mobility performance comparable with on the driving characteristics of the LEOPARD 2 main battle tank, the latest version (A3) is configured for a total weight of 38.5 tons including the mission module. The BOXER offers an exceptionally high level of protection in comparison with other internationally available 8x8 vehicles. It boasts a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour and a range of up to 1,000 kilometers.

The BOXER was conceived and designed as a modular vehicle. In all its variants, it consists of a driving module and an interchangeable mission module.

Owing to its modular design principle of a uniform driving module and interchangeable mission modules, the vehicle can assume many different roles.

For example, the same spare parts and training systems can be used for all variants of the driving module. This simplifies logistics and repairs, thus increasing the material readiness of the Medium Forces.

The use of subsystems that have already been introduced into armed forces and are therefore available should be considered and evaluated for the mission modules in order to minimize the logistical effort (training, spare parts, special tools, measuring instruments and testing equipment).

Variants introduced in the Bundeswehr include the group transport vehicle, the ambulance vehicle, the command vehicle and the driver training vehicle. A variant for drone defense (“qualified air defense”) is about to be introduced. A Joint Fire Support Team (JFST heavy) is also in development.

Other user nations include the Netherlands, the United Kingdom,, Lithuania, Ukraine (delivery from 2025), and Australia.