Page 19 - 4RA Regimental Journal 2019-2020

4th Regiment Royal Artillery Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) Trials
The opportunity came to join the Armoured Trails and Development Unit (ATDU) in the trials for the new BOXER MIV as a fire support SME. The trials took place in Western Europe, pre- dominantly the Netherlands and Germany in July 2020.
The role of ATDU is to carry out user tri- als and development tasks on armoured vehicle equipment in order to provide cost-effective support to the Equipment Programme. It is worth emphasising that it is not limited to armoured vehicles – it is more than that. It could include looking at fuel for armoured vehicles, clothing for their crews or even the food that they eat.
As 4th Regiment Royal Artillery will be supporting STRIKE in the future, and adapting to mechanised fire support, it is vital that the platforms in which we will be operating are fit for purpose, therefore it was essential that the trials and develop- ment team was reinforced with genuine fires SME assistance.
The Boxer can be deployed around the world on any battlefield, travelling long distances quickly, cross country, under enemy fire and in the most demanding of environments. It is modular by design, meaning that the same vehicle base plat- form can be quickly reconfigured with dif- ferent modules to fill different roles. The Bundeswehr are well practiced in this and can do a complete platform change within one hour. Initially the Army will buy a troop-carrying variant, an ambulance, a command vehicle and a specialist carrier. The fires community, including FSTs, will be using a modified version of the com- mand vehicle.
During the first two week we were work- ing closely with Rheinmetall Defence based in Ede Netherlands, working on dif- ferent service requirements, from stowage and seating positions to dismounting and casualty evacuation drills, including in full CBRN PPE. From a soldier’s perspective it was great to see the whole process, tests
Bombardier Joshua Burton
and trials behind how the equipment goes from the factory floor to the wider army.
Whilst on free time we did a battle filed tour on Operation Market Garden, visit- ing the key places in which British troops occupied both in Arnhem (‘John Frost Bridge’) and Hartenstein in Oosterbeek. During this excursion, there was also enough downtime to sample the Dutch culture and beer!
During the third week, we worked primar- ily with KMW based in Munich, which is home of the Leopard MBT, employed by a number of armies around the world. Here we were able to see the Boxer in full swing as it smashed its way around the driver training area. Coming from an armoured background, I can wholeheartedly say that, having seen the demonstrations, I would much prefer deploying on opera- tions in a Boxer than a Warrior. As an addi- tional interest piece, we were invited to command the Leopard around the driver training area, which was great fun.
Apart from playing around with armoured vehicles the final week was mainly sort- ing out any kinks in the chain, one being would the MSTAR fit? After some jig-
ging around I can ensure you all that the MSTAR fits perfectly. This serves as a sim- ple example of how, through innovation, we (the Joint Fires community) will be able to blend new capabilities with existing, proven technologies.
On the evenings, we visited Dachau, the site of a Nazi concentration camp opened in 1933. We got off the train in Dachau and walked the same route as the prisoners would, which was an eerie experience. Dachau was initially used to hold politi- cal prisoners, but famously evolved into one of the focal points of the Holocaust. To this day you can walk around the camp, visit the gas chambers, crematorium and get a real feel of what it would have been like to have worked there, from a German perspective, or to have been imprisoned there, and likely died.
I have fully enjoyed my time working under the ATDU and would highly recommend it to anyone who is wanting to get a wider understanding on how equipment comes into service. The BOXER platform prom- ises to provide the Royal Artillery, and the wider Army, with a cutting-edge platform in the years to come.
Bdr Burton poses with the BOXER MIV
‘John Frost Bridge’
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