OCCAR orders Schakal IFVs for Germany and Netherlands

OCCAR has ordered an initial 150 Schakal IFVs for Germany and 72 for the Netherlands from Rheinmetall-KNDS joint venture Artec. (Rheinmetall)

The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) ordered Schakal infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for Germany and the Netherlands from Rheinmetall-KNDS 64:36 joint venture Artec on 17 October. The order is for 150 Schakals for the Bundeswehr and 72 for the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA), with an option for the call-off of up to 248 more Schakals, Rheinmetall said in a press release on 20 October.

The order is worth EUR3.41 billion (USD3.97 billion), with an almost EUR3 billion share for Rheinmetall, according to the German company. It includes a logistics package for spare parts, training equipment, and special tools, with options such as protection against handheld anti-tank weapons, shot detection and identification systems, and counter-unmanned aircraft systems.

The budget committee of the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, approved funding of the German Schakals, the country's Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) announced on 15 October.

The Bundestag approved the procurement of the German Schakal IFVs – a Boxer wheeled armoured vehicle equipped with the Puma IFV's turret armed with Rheinmetall's MK 30-2/ABM (airburst munition) cannon – for deliveries in 2027–31. The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release on 17 October that deliveries for the Netherlands are planned for the fourth quarter of 2028.

Rheinmetall said the Boxer IFV will be the main weapon system of the German Army's new medium forces. The Dutch MoD expects the IFV to give the RNLA's 13 Light Brigade in Oirschot “significantly more firepower” in its contribution to defending NATO territory.