Germany is preparing a massive order for around 1,800 heavy-wheeled Boxer armored vehicles under the Arminius program. A firm contract worth €25 billion is expected to be signed as early as December 2026.
According to German defense outlet hartpunkt, which cites its own sources, a significant portion of the order will consist of Führungsboxer command-and-control vehicles and Skyranger self-propelled anti-aircraft systems.
Read more: Rheinmetall Sets June 2031 Completion for UK's 72 RCH 155 Howitzers With British-Made Components, Ukraine Still Waiting on 54 Ordered Back in 2022
The package is also expected to include armored bridge layers, additional RCH 155 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, Gruppentransportfahrzeuge armored personnel carriers, medical and training vehicles, JFST schwer joint fire support vehicles, and NNbS short- and very-short-range air defense systems.
The Arminius program is also reportedly expected to include the Schakal infantry fighting vehicle and the HWC (Heavy Weapon Carrier, or Schwere Waffenträger Infanterie), designed to provide infantry with additional firepower.
Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said the company would split the €25 billion firm Boxer contract equally with KNDS, giving Rheinmetall a €12.5 billion share.
He also said that the companies have proposed an even larger framework agreement with two options. The first would cover additional vehicles to be delivered between 2030 and 2035, while the second would provide for further production beyond that period.
If the full framework agreement is implemented, the combined value of the firm contract and all options would exceed €75 billion. However, Papperger stressed that he could not guarantee that the Bundeswehr would ultimately exercise the full package.
There will also be a second firm contract under the Arminius program covering the maintenance of the Boxer vehicles ordered under the main deal. It is expected to be signed in January 2027 and will be worth around €4 billion, with Rheinmetall receiving half of that amount.
From Defense Express' perspective, the €25 billion firm contract alone would be the largest Boxer order ever placed. The roughly 1,800 vehicles covered by the deal would also represent almost twice as many Boxers as Germany has ordered and received to date.
The Arminius program has been known since November 2025. At the time, its estimated value was around €40 billion, with plans to acquire between 600 and 650 Skyranger self-propelled anti-aircraft systems.
The latest figures are significantly different from those earlier estimates. One possible explanation is that Germany may exercise only one of the two options while keeping the program within the previously estimated €40 billion budget. However, other factors, including changes to procurement plans, could also explain the difference. There is currently no definitive information on the matter.
The GTK Boxer is a family of heavy-wheeled armored vehicles that serves as a platform for a wide range of specialized variants, including the RCH 155 155 mm self-propelled howitzer.
Germany has been supplying Ukraine with RCH 155 systems and their associated command vehicles, and some of these platforms may already have seen combat.
Read more: German RCH 155 SPH May Already Be in Ukraine, as Hinted At by GDLS During Presentation of Its Version for Canada
