Australian soldiers send rounds down range on Boxer live fire exercises.

The Australian Army has successfully completed two Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle turret conversion courses in Queensland, qualifying 35 armoured Cavalry crew on new digital sensors, next-generation thermal sights, and mission systems in the Boxer’s turret.
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Soldiers from the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) conduct a live-fire training serial with an Australian Army Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle at Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland. (ïcture source: Australian army)

Under the LAND 400 Phase 2 project, the courses were designed to convert the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) Australian Light Armoured Vehicle crews to the Boxer CRV turret. Commanding Officer of 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Tom McDermott, said the Boxer turret conversion courses had been a great example of collaboration between the Australian Army, the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group and Rheinmetall Defence Australia. Lieutenant-Colonel McDermott said: “The accuracy of the MK30 cannon and co-axial machine-gun is very impressive.”

The 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment also conducted live-fire exercises in the Townsville Field Training Area with the new Boxer vehicles as they were introduced into use by the Australian Army. Soldiers engaged targets with the MAG-58 Machine Gun, honed their skills on the digitised 30mm turret and practiced firing smoke canisters from the platform’s Grenade Launching System.

To date, the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment has fired more than 7,800 rounds of 30mm ammunition and a further 35,000 rounds of 7.62mm through the coaxial machine gun. Gunners have been impressed by the accuracy of the weapon system and the performance of the new ammunition natures.

Officer Commanding A Squadron, Major Dan Solomon was grateful for the opportunity to train with the Boxer as it enters into use within the Australian Army: “The Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle is far more capable, mobile, better protected and enabled than the Australian Light Armoured Vehicle it is replacing. With the increased range of the gun and greater optics package in the turret, the lethality is far greater, allowing us to achieve greater standoff from our targets”.