UK Boxer secures HaLO Vehicle Egress Lighting Systems supply
Image courtesy WFEL
In a further sub-contract award, as part of the UK Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicle Programme for the British Army, KMW and WFEL have signed a contract with AeroGlow International for the supply of the latest HaLO Vehicle Egress Lighting Systems.
This contract is for the delivery of bespoke HaLO systems, with deliveries commencing in 2021 and running through to 2031. The awarding of this sub-contract to a UK SME demonstrates the commitment to source 60% by value of the Boxer contract from within the UK, protecting sovereign engineering and manufacturing skills and ensuring that the vehicles remain supported through their 30-year operational life.
Emergency lighting systems have been recognised as safety critical for the Boxer vehicles and Salisbury-based AeroGlow says that having the HaLO system fitted to Boxer will ensure the mitigation of drowning and egress risks for British military personnel for the foreseeable future.
The emergency lighting systems will be integrated into the Boxer vehicles by WFEL at their new, state-of-the-art Boxer MIV manufacturing facility in Stockport.
The proven AeroGlow LED escape lighting system will guide Boxer occupants to an exit as quickly as possible should the vehicle suffer a traumatic event - such as damage by a blast, roll over or being submerged in water - and the soldiers inside need to get out fast.
AeroGlow Business Development Director, Keith White, commented: “We are delighted that the latest version of HaLO featuring our Capacitor Pack power supply has been chosen for the Boxer platform. With the contract with KMW and WFEL set to run for 10 years, this ensures the employment of our staff and our UK suppliers’ staff for the long term. "
This contract award mirrors a contract awarded to AeroGlow International by Rheinmetall and RBSL which - together with KMW and WFEL - are joint partners in the UK for the manufacture of the Boxer vehicles for the British Army.
In November 2019, ARTEC, a joint venture between two German companies – Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall – signed the £2.3 billion contract to deliver 500+ Boxer vehicles to the British Army.
The vehicles will be manufactured in the UK, with production subcontracted equally between WFEL and Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL). The companies will undertake the fabrication of the armoured vehicle structures together with the assembly, integration and test of the complete vehicles at their respective facilities in Stockport and Telford.
The MIV contract will sustain jobs at WFEL and RBSL sites across the UK, as well as a vibrant national supply chain. The MIV programme aims to source 60%, by value, of the contract from within the UK, protecting sovereign engineering and manufacturing skills and ensuring that the vehicles remain supported through their 30-year operational life.
Boxer is a state-of-the-art wheeled armoured vehicle with outstanding mobility and protection features. Its design allows for any Mission Module configuration with a payload of up to circa 15 tonnes. So far, more than 800 vehicles in various configurations have been supplied to, or ordered by, three NATO nations – Germany, the Netherlands and Lithuania – as well as Australia.
