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Germany and Netherlands invest 4.5 billion euros for 222 SCHAKAL IFV to expand Boxer fleets.
Germany and the Netherlands have signed a €4.5 billion contract through OCCAR for 222 new SCHAKAL infantry fighting vehicles, expanding their joint Boxer fleets. The investment deepens European defense cooperation and enhances NATO’s protected mobility and battlefield resilience.
On 17 October 2025, a major step in European land combat modernization was confirmed with the award of new contracts expanding the BOXER program, as reported by OCCAR. The deal, signed in Bonn, consolidates the vehicle’s role as a modular, future-ready platform across participating nations and brings fresh momentum to German-Dutch industrial cooperation. It matters because it injects additional capacity, medical resilience, and a new infantry fighting capability at a time of sustained demand for protected mobility in NATO. The announcement formalizes a €4.5 billion investment that lifts the total value of OCCAR-managed BOXER activities to more than €10 billion and sets a clear path for further variants and upgrades in the coming years.
The SCHAKAL Infantry Fighting Vehicle, based on the modular Boxer 8x8 platform, features enhanced armor protection, a medium-caliber turret, and advanced digital systems designed to support frontline infantry in high-intensity operations. Built jointly by German and Dutch industry partners, it represents the newest combat variant in Europe’s expanding Boxer family (Picture source: KNDS)
The package ordered through OCCAR for Germany and the Netherlands adds 270 BOXER vehicles, including Driver Training Vehicles and new Ambulance variants for Germany fitted with upgraded C4I and visual systems, alongside a comprehensive medical equipment uplift for the existing German ambulance fleet to improve battlefield care. Its centerpiece is SCHAKAL, a new infantry fighting vehicle variant co-developed by Germany and the Netherlands that marries the advanced PUMA RCT30 remotely controlled turret, featuring a high-performance 30 mm cannon and modern optics, with the BOXER 8×8 chassis. The contracts include initial in-service support and are anchored on the newest, most capable BOXER drive module configuration intended to become the common standard for all OCCAR BOXER states, reinforcing interoperability and lifecycle efficiency.
The BOXER family has evolved through successive national tranches and joint developments under OCCAR governance, a framework designed to pool requirements, synchronize schedules, and leverage industrial specialization. In this phase, Germany and the Netherlands co-led the SCHAKAL concept to combine IFV-grade lethality with 8×8 strategic mobility, while Germany also prioritized medical evacuation and training capacity. ARTEC GmbH, the Rheinmetall and KNDS joint venture that holds the BOXER system contract with OCCAR, remains the industrial prime, and the program’s continuous spiral development approach ensures that each new block introduces common subsystems, software baselines, and support tooling across fleets.
SCHAKAL’s principal advantage lies in its fusion of a combat-proven remote turret architecture with the BOXER’s modular mission module and protected mobility. Compared with other Western 8×8 combat configurations, the SCHAKAL concept pushes toward tracked-IFV levels of firepower and sensors while retaining the logistics and road mobility benefits of an 8×8. The newest drive module brings higher commonality and growth margins for power, cooling, and electronic architectures, enabling integration of advanced C4ISR and survivability suites. At the same time, the medical and training subsets in this order broaden the force package: enhanced ambulance kits increase survivability for casualties and sustain operations, and dedicated Driver Training Vehicles reduce whole-life training costs and improve readiness. Against peer 8×8 solutions on the market, this combination of IFV-class lethality, standardized next-gen mobility, and a synchronized support construct is a differentiator for nations seeking rapid scaling with minimal integration risk.
Strategically, the investment signals a consolidated German-Dutch approach to medium-weight mechanized forces and strengthens NATO’s deterrence posture on the Alliance’s northern and eastern axes. By standardizing on the next-generation BOXER drive module, OCCAR facilitates cross-border sustainment, simplifies pre-positioning, and accelerates multinational battlegroup integration. The reinforced medical capability directly supports high-tempo operations and casualty evacuation planning, while SCHAKAL offers a credible urban and combined-arms option that complements heavier tracked formations. Industrially, the contract underpins European land systems capacity at Rheinmetall and KNDS, sustains skilled employment, and provides a scalable baseline for potential follow-on variants among OCCAR participants, which currently include Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom.
From a budgetary perspective, the €4.5 billion package lifts the OCCAR-managed BOXER portfolio to more than €10 billion in total value, reflecting both new procurement and targeted fleet upgrades. With 270 vehicles covered, including 222 SCHAKAL IFVs plus medical and training variants, the envelope also funds initial in-service support and the rollout of the most capable drive module across fleets, costs that typically front-load training, spares, and documentation. The prime contractor is ARTEC GmbH on behalf of OCCAR, with Germany and the Netherlands as beneficiary nations for this tranche; this 17 October 2025 award is the latest BOXER contract action. While unit pricing will vary by configuration and support content, the scale and standardization inherent in this order are designed to compress through-life costs and de-risk subsequent national increments already “under active planning,” according to the official announcement.
This new tranche cements BOXER’s status as the modular 8×8 reference in Europe, couples IFV-grade combat power with medical resilience and training depth, and locks in a common drive module that will shape future variants for years to come. By aligning operational needs with an industrial pathway inside the OCCAR framework, Germany and the Netherlands have converted urgency into concrete capability, sending a clear signal of readiness and cohesion to allies and adversaries alike.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.