Slovenian Boxers will be based on the Lithuanian version (pictured), which is equipped with a Rafael Samson Mk II RWS. (Lithuanian MoD)
Slovenia, represented by the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR), signed a contract with Rheinmetall-Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) consortium Artec to purchase 45 Boxer armoured vehicles in four variants worth a total of EUR281.5 million (USD296.3 million), the consortium and its two constituent companies announced in a joint press release on 17 May.
The Slovenian Ministry of Defence (MoD) originally announced the decision to procure Boxer through OCCAR in February 2018 for its Central Battalion Battle Groups.
OCCAR said on its website on 12 May that the Slovenian Boxers will be based on the Lithuanian Boxer design, including the Rafael Samson Mk II remote weapon station (RWS). Rheinmetall told Janes on 18 May that there would only be minimal adaptations to the Boxers to Slovenian requirements thanks to the vehicles' modularity. OCCAR expects the first Boxer deliveries from KMW through Artec in 2023 and the consortium said they would be completed in 2026.
The Slovenian MoD gave a breakdown of the EUR281.5 million (excluding EUR61.9 in value-added tax) contract: EUR238.8 million for the 45 Boxers with RWSs; EUR23.4 for a logistics package including documentation, training, spare parts, and tools and test equipment; and EUR19.2 million in development costs.
Slovenian Defence Minister Matej Tonin signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with OCCAR on 11 May to join Boxer programme member countries Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom. Tonin said that “with the signing we are finally where we should have been 15 years ago. Slovenia is getting top-quality vehicles that will be intended for national and collective defence within NATO”.
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