In august 2021, apare un articol in presa australiana despre problemele transportoarelor blindate Boxer.
Autorul, Andrew Greene, sustine ca Land 400 phase 2 – contract de 5,6 mld AUD si castigat de Rheinmetall in 2018 – are mari probleme, autoritatile australiene amenintand sa treaca produsul german “CRV as a project of concern”. Se sustine ca Boxerul are turela Lance prea grea si nu poate integra “Iron Fist”, ca tunul de 30 mm foloseste numai munitie germana, ca Boxerul foloseste numai cauciucuri europene.
Ce raspunde Rheinmetall:
Rheinmetall confirma ca CRV Boxer foloseste „a tyre exclusively manufactured at a facility in France” but argued „such an arrangement is commonplace in military applications”.
Rheinmetall confirma, in acelsi timp, ca munitia germana, fabricata de compania Waffe Munition Schweiz este singura certificata pentru tunul turelei Lance.
„Rheinmetall has not been asked to qualify ammunition from other manufacturers,” a declarat purtatorul de cuvant al companiei germane.
In privinta sistemului de aparare activa impotriva rachetelor AT si a grenadelor reactive, germanii sustin: „RDA is not contracted to integrate an active protection system (APS) onto the Boxer CRV [but it] continues to work with Defence in identifying a sufficiently mature APS solution for future integration,” a sustinut purtatorul de cuvant al Rheinmetall pentru ABC.
E curios cum la 5,6 mld AUD Boxer nu are APS. Mai apare o problema sesizata de autor si anume ca integrarea turelei Lance pe CVR Boxer va fi facuta pe banii australienilor, proces in curs de desfasurare.
„RDA is contracted by the Commonwealth to manufacture, integrate and deliver the Lance turret onto Boxer for the requirements of the LAND 400 Phase 2 contract,” sustine Rheinmetall.
Trebuie mentionat ca DoD ul Australian a respins afirmatiile ca Lance are probleme cu greutatea si stabilitatea.
Apar insa niste informatii interesante in comisiile de aparare de la senatului australian, citam din 01.06.2021:
Senator AYRES: Guns jamming in the turret, is that right?
Major Gen. Coghlan: There have been a range of technical issues but gun jamming is one of them. But last week the turreted vehicles performed without the canon jamming.
Senator AYRES: So last week they performed well.
Si mai ales la 06.04.2022:
Senator AYRES: Mr Greene says that there’s carbon monoxide toxicity inside the vehicle. Is that a technical problem that has been resolved? What can you tell us about that?
Major Gen. Blain: We are identifying particular issues that require us to look at physical ways of fixing them or through our tactics, techniques and procedures, so the methods of how we employ the vehicle. Some of those issues you would’ve seen raised in that article by Mr Greene. It includes things like the night operating system.[…]
Senator AYRES: Can we just stick with carbon monoxide? Is that a Block I issue that’s been resolved or a Block II issue that’s been resolved? I took it from what you said that there is a workaround. What, in fact, is going on?
Major Gen. Blain: We can identify workarounds for issues—
Senator AYRES: Is that winding the window down, is it?
Major Gen. Blain: There are no windows on these protected vehicles—
Senator AYRES: Well, what is it?
Major Gen. Blain: It depends how we operate the vehicle in circumstances of being static, when live firing, moving, hatches being open, hatches being closed—those sorts of systems—
Senator AYRES: So not windows open but hatches open.
Major Gen. Blain: Correct[…]
Lt Gen. Burr: To be really clear, Senator, there are two different vehicles here. General Blain has been talking about the Boxer vehicle, which is our reconnaissance vehicle, being acquired in two blocks, the first block coming directly from Rheinmetall in Germany is to allow us to buy time to build the factory here in Australia, to learn the lessons of the Block I vehicle and make sure they are applied into the Block II vehicle, which will commence production later this year. So there are known limitations in order to accelerate its acquisition and development for the Block II vehicle. One of the limitations is that it will not have an active protection system on it. It will not have an organic mounted anti-armour weapon. They will be carried by the troops inside, as they would, to engage any threats with those anti-armoured weapons. The phase 3 vehicle, which is the one I’ve been talking about, is the infantry fighting vehicle. It will have on it—or would expect to have on it, subject to decision—an active protection system and other protection systems for the known modern threats.[…]
Major Gen. Blain: We never scoped to have any tank guided munitions fitted to our Block I vehicles. Again, in transition, as we move into Block II, there is in the project scope and a plan to integrate an anti-tank guided munition system onto the Block II vehicle.
Dupa mine australienii au facut un contract avantajos mai ales pentru Rheinmetall, le dau 5,6 mld AUD, fac o comanda initiala de 25 Boxer, (Block I) din care 12 cu turela Lance (fara ATGM si APS), testeaza vehiculele ca sa pregateasca productia de Boxer Block II, 186 vehicule din care 121 cu turela Lance cu Spike, dar fara APS. Nu-mi dau seama cum a castigat Rheinmetall contractul, la banii astia trebuia sa ofere un Boxer functional macar, nu sa descopere australienii “there’s carbon monoxide toxicity inside the vehicle” sau ca sunt probleme cu “night operating system.” Practic australienii fac niste teste care trebuiau deja facute de germani si sa nu existe probleme, mai ales ca Boxerul nu e la primul contract, n-au vazut pana acum sa aiba probleme tehnice.
Nu mai zic de folosirea exclusiva a munitiei “Made in Germany” sau a cauciucurilor franceze, dar poate s-au rezolvat problemele intre timp.
Spre comparatie, Lynxurile unguresti vor avea turele Lance construite in cea mai mare parte in Australia (nu-mi dau seama daca au Spike ) si au un APS Rheinmetall.
“StrikeShield hard-kill active protection system (APS).The more than $170m (€140m) order will involve the installation of the APS on 209 Hungarian Lynx IFVs.”
Australienii vorbesc de neintegrarea Iron Fist pe Boxer, acest APS are piese in miscare, StrikeShield e diferit, poate de asta s-a reusit integrarea pe Lynx, dar la cati bani au dat australienii pe Boxer, puteau sa aleaga ceva mai bun.
Caudillo