Vilkas Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) have been made by a German manufacturer ARTEC, according to the requirements of the Lithuanian Land Force. The vehicles have Israel-made turrets fitted with an independent commander’s sight with both commander and gunner provided with thermal and daylight channels. In order to keep the link with the history of Lithuania and traditions of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, it was agreed by the IFV manufacturer and Lithuania that the IFVs produced according to Lithuania’s requirements would be called “Vilkas” (Vilkas being Lithuanian for wolf) instead of “Boxer”.
In December 2015 it was announced that Lithuania had selected the Boxer. The precise mix/number of Lithuanian vehicles has not always been clear, much of this down to wording/description of variants. Lithuania will receive a total of 91 Boxer in A2 configuration, 89 as variants of the baseline IFV configuration, plus two driver training vehicles. The exact IFV breakdown is: 55 IFV squad leader, 18 IFV platoon leader; 12 IFV company leader; 4 IFV command post. A single IFV will be used for maintenance training. The first two vehicles (driver training configuration) were delivered to Lithuania in December 2017.
On 18 July the Lithuanian MoD announced that the country’s first two Boxer prototypes had entered trials in Germany. Also in July 2019 Jane’s reported that the first two Boxer (Vilkas) IFVs ordered by Lithuania would be officially handed over to the MoD on 9 July. Actual delivery occurred on 25 June. The MoD stated that 15 Vilkas would be delivered in 2019 and all 89 vehicles would be delivered by the end of 2021. Lithuanian Boxers are fitted with the Israeli-made RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Samson Mk II RCT turret, mounting a fully stabilised Orbital ATK Mk 44 30 mm dual-feed cannon, 7.62 mm co-axial MG, and Spike-LR missiles.
The Lithuanian Boxer is constructed from rolled all-welded steel armour to which the AMAP-B module-based appliqué armour kit can be fitted as required by mission threat estimates. AMAP-B modules are taken from the IBD Diesenroth AMAP modular armour package and are fitted to the vehicle with shock absorbing mountings. Exact details of Boxer protection levels have now been classified. According to ARTEC, the vehicle will withstand anti-personnel and large anti-tank mines of an undisclosed type under the wheel, platform or side attack. It has previously been stated that Boxer’s baseline armour is all-round resistant to 14.5 mm armour-piercing ammunition in accordance with STANAG 4569 Level 4.
