Beyond military capability: How BOXER strengthens UK defence manufacturing and jobs

Pearson Engineering will chair a panel at DVD26 today (17 September) – ‘Protecting the Nation, Powering the Economy: How UK Land Programmes Deliver Skills, Jobs and UK Economic Growth’ – bringing together the British Army and industry to explore how programmes such as BOXER deliver more than just military capability.

Pearson Engineering and its daughter company Responsive Engineering are members of the wider UK supply chain supporting BOXER. Together, they work alongside programme partners including KNDS and Rheinmetall.

Their contribution is part of Pearson Engineering Group’s wider role supporting all the UK’s major land vehicle programmes, including BOXER, Challenger 3 and AJAX.

How the BOXER programme is supporting regional and sovereign defence manufacturing capability

At its Armstrong Works site in Newcastle upon Tyne, the Group is manufacturing BOXER Mission Module hulls. The contract has helped drive growth at the historic Tyneside facility, with more than 400 people now employed across its land manufacturing activities, 52 apprentices supported and new roles created to meet demand.

Photo: Pearson Engineering

The impact extends beyond Pearson Engineering itself. More than £14 million of supplier spend was placed by the organisation in 2025, with 70% going to UK businesses and 42% within 50 miles of Newcastle, helping to sustain sovereign defence manufacturing capability and skilled employment across North East England and the wider UK.

Ian Bell, Chief Executive Officer at Pearson Engineering, said: “The delivery of the 100th BOXER is an important milestone for the British Army and for the wider UK industrial team. It provides an opportunity to recognise the people, skills, investment and specialist suppliers behind that achievement.

“For us, BOXER is part of a broader commitment to supporting the UK’s land programmes and maintaining the sovereign capability needed to deliver and sustain them. That means investing in our facilities and workforce, developing apprentices and working with strategic partners and suppliers. The strength of that industrial network is reflected in the jobs and skills supported at Armstrong Works and in the £14 million we placed with the supply chain in 2025, nearly three quarters of which went to UK businesses.”

Being held at UTAC Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire on 16-17 September, DVD is the UK’s premier biennial land warfare and defence equipment event, connecting military personnel, procurement teams and industry suppliers.