Login
iscover
Army has tested the capabilities of its Boxer CRV fleet as part of Exercise Diamond Walk.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The Australian Army’s Rheinmetall-built Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles (CRV) have been deployed by the 7th Brigade as part of Exercise Diamond Walk at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland.
The new platforms, delivered as part of the Commonwealth government’s $5.2 billion LAND 400 Phase 2, will be tested over the coming weeks, with the exercise to conclude on 11 June.
According to Trooper Harrison Dietrich, a gunner on the Boxer, the CRV’s crews have adapted well to the new capability.
“We have just conducted a battle run with the hatches down, which has been a first for the troop,” he said.
“It was a case of walking through the complexities of a hatch-down environment. It’s also been about adapting and trying to work out the best way to employ the Boxer.”
Lieutenant Riley Brassil noted key differences between the Boxer and its predecessor, the Australian Light Armoured Vehicle.
"The crews have shown great initiative and technical mastery in the way they have adapted to the new vehicle platform, which is unlike anything they have worked with before,” LT Brassil said.
“In a vehicle that has so many sensors and digital systems, you find that you have so much more to work with and your mind is stretched between a few different lines of effort.
“However, if you can pull that all together and work with the crew as a whole, the Boxer is extremely effective at doing its job.”
Officer Commanding A Squadron 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) [2/14LHR (QMI)] Major Daniel Solomon said the Boxer’s field testing followed extensive theory-based training.
“This is our first opportunity for this training year to take the Boxer into the field as part of the Boxer’s introduction into the Army,” MAJ Solomon said.
“Exercise Diamond Walk has been an opportunity for us to go back to the basics, and the couple of weeks we have been out here has seen us achieve dry and live-fire individual crew certification, and up to troop certification live-fire.”
According to MAJ Solomon, the Boxer has proven its capability since entering service with the Army.
“So far, people have been quite impressed by the performance of the Boxers,” he said.
“We have constantly pushed the boundaries of the Boxer, trying to push it further and further, and so far, it’s responding very well.”
[Related: Boxer MIV production hits new milestone]
