Rolls-Royce has been selected to supply 350 mtu Series 199 engines for new Boxer wheeled armored vehicles destined for the German Armed Forces and other international customers.
The orders were placed by Rheinmetall and KNDS Deutschland, with each powerplant delivered as an eight-cylinder engine producing either 530 kilowatts (710 horsepower) or 600 kilowatts (805 horsepower). Initial vehicle deliveries are scheduled for the first half of 2026.
The Boxer is an eight-wheel-drive, modular armored vehicle built around a common drive module, onto which mission-specific payload modules can be rapidly integrated. This architecture has enabled the development of numerous Boxer variants for both European and non-European armed forces.
To date, more than 2,000 Boxer vehicles have been ordered or delivered worldwide, all powered by mtu 8V199 engines. Rolls-Royce notes that the mtu Series 199 has become one of the most widely adopted engine families for military land vehicles, with over 4,500 units delivered to NATO and allied militaries.
Building on this success, Rolls-Royce is expanding the Series 199 into a broader engine family to meet rising performance demands while addressing budget constraints. Planned upgrades include enhanced eight-cylinder variants, as well as the development of a ten-cylinder engine producing up to 1,100 kilowatts (1,475 horsepower) and a twelve-cylinder version exceeding 1,300 kilowatts (1,745 horsepower).
A key focus of the program is the use of common components across different engine variants. This standardization is intended to simplify engine replacement, reduce spare parts inventories, streamline supply chains, and enable faster, more efficient maintenance in the field, ultimately lowering lifecycle costs and improving operational readiness.
