Horstman Selected to Provide Gearboxes in Support of the British Army’s Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicle Programme

Horstman are delighted to be selected to provide a complex gearbox in support of the British Army’s Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicle programme, both for the UK and future exports. After a rigorous competition, Horstman was selected to ensure that the best value and lowest risk to the Boxer programme was taken forward. This £12M award continues our long heritage of providing combat mobility solutions in support of British and allied forces, and clearly demonstrates our increased potential as a company of the RENK group.  

RENK, a German headquartered multi-national company, have invested significantly in the UK with the acquisition of Horstman in 2019. RENK have supported our continued growth with recent investments and improvements in our machinery and an expanded apprenticeship programme.  

While Horstman is well known for its armoured vehicle suspension systems, this Boxer award re-kindles a significant history in producing gearboxes in Bath for battle tank turrets, tactical 4x4’s and combat engineering vehicles.  Notably, RENK has made all production Angular Gearboxes for the Boxer to date and as a parent company, RENK are fully supportive of all required technical support and investment into Horstman to ensure that the identical product is built in the UK at Horstman’s premises in Bath, following identical processes and procedures. RENK Test Systems are delivering the end of line test equipment to Horstman for the Boxer project. This low risk approach is coupled with Horstman’s AS9100 level quality accreditation to ensure the User receives a quality product.  

Threaded throughout Horstman’s employees are a number of ex-military personnel, well versed in working with the British Army and industry alike. Horstman’s supply chain and customer base is well established and experienced across multiple countries and vehicles, from Canada to Europe to Australia and everything in between. As well as strengthening our ongoing European collaborations, this award and anticipated follow-on work on the UK Boxer gearbox programme will create or sustain up to 20 skilled roles across Horstman and the wider UK supply chain. In Bath in particular we will expand our inspection, assembly, test and paint teams.  

We are proud of our decade’s long relationship with the key German prime contractors and UK integration sites for Boxer. Horstman already successfully supplies the suspension for the German Puma infantry fighting vehicle, meaning that we have established relationships with KMW and Rheinmetall engineering and delivery teams. We have tried and tested links to the RBSL Telford team and we look forward to working with WFEL on this landmark programme for the UK.