The delivery of German Boxer infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to Lithuania is running behind schedule due to faults identified during the quality control process.
The first two Boxers were delivered to Lithuania last June. Another 15 IFVs were due to have arrived by the end of 2019. However, the vehicles have not reached Lithuania yet.
“Some of the Boxer IFVs that Lithuania planned to receive in 2019 had not been delivered yet,” the Defense Ministry said. “This is due to defects that were identified during the strict quality controls and that the manufacturer was unable to eliminate in a timely manner.”
The ministry expects the delivery of Boxers to Lithuania to resume in January 2020. Meanwhile, the first two Boxers were also delivered with a delay.
The vehicles are manufactured for Lithuania by a German consortium and their turrets are made by an Israeli company. Once in Lithuania, the vehicles are renamed ilkai (Wolves).
Signed in August 2016, the contract on the acquisition of 88 Boxers from Germany is valued at 386 million euros, making it Lithuania’s largest-ever military acquisition.
The IFVs will be used by two military battalions based in Rukla and Alytus. (LRT/Business World Magazine)