Dutch army's armored fleet sidelined by suspension defects
The Dutch army temporarily lost access to a substantial number of its Boxer armored personnel carriers due to a suspension defect. This issue is significant enough to necessitate a service campaign. The vehicles will only return to service after necessary repairs.
According to the Dutch daily newspaper "Eindhovens Dagblad," the defect was found in around 70 of the 200 Boxer armored personnel carriers in the Dutch army's inventory. These vehicles are crucial, especially since Amsterdam has only recently begun focusing more on its armed forces' needs, having been without tanks since 2011.
Service action for Dutch armored vehicles
A spokeswoman for the Dutch Ministry of Defense confirmed that the defective vehicles have already been sent to two military workshops, located in Oirschot and Havelt. Repairs are set to begin on Monday, February 17 and are expected to take "a few weeks."
"The identified shortcomings will be addressed in cooperation with our industry in the shortest possible time to ensure the safe reintegration of the equipment into service," said the spokeswoman.
The investigation revealed that the issue involves one of the bolts tightened with the wrong machine, resulting in excessive force. This led to deformation of some chassis components and posed a risk of significant damage when the vehicles operate under heavy loads.
German-Dutch Boxer armored personnel carrier
The Boxer is an armored personnel carrier that utilizes an 8x8 chassis and is about 26 feet long. With an engine that produces over 700 horsepower, it can reach speeds of up to 62 mph. The Boxer is manufactured by the consortium ARTEC GmbH, which comprises two companies: Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall.
The design adheres to a modular architecture, allowing it to be tailored to specific user requirements and facilitating easier upgrades. According to information from the official website of the Dutch Ministry of Defense, the Dutch army employs five different variants of this transporter. These variants include command vehicles, medical vehicles, Boxer Cargo, training vehicles, and vehicles for engineering troops.
In September 2024, Dutch authorities announced plans to purchase additional Boxer armored personnel carriers, specifically the RCT30 model, which features a 30 mm automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm machine gun.
