MilDef Ltd, a leading provider of rugged, customised electronics solutions for the defence market, has won a contract worth over £20 million from Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) and Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH to provide Generic Vehicle Architecture (GVA) compliant Crewstation PCs, Servers and Ethernet Switches for the British Army Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) programme.

MilDef will manufacture the components at its UK facility in Cardiff.  In preparation, the company is investing in the site by building an expanded manufacturing space, investing in testing apparatus, such as temperature chambers, as well as upgrading tools and other manufacturing equipment.  This will contribute to the millions of pounds of investment being made across industry in training and capital equipment under the MIV programme, increasing productivity throughout the UK supply chain.

The 19”/2 hardware being supplied to RBSL for the MIV programme consists of 10G Ethernet Fibre Switches, Crewstation PCs with powerful GPUs and Servers with integrated GPS/GNSS receivers. All hardware has been customised to align with the MIV GVA requirements.

Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, welcomed the announcement stating, “Thousands of jobs in Wales are supported by UK defence expenditure and this latest £20m investment shows our continued commitment to invest in Welsh suppliers – cementing Wales’ place as a defence industry hub.”

Director Land Equipment at UK MoD Defence Equipment and Support, Major General Darren Crook, also commented on the contract, “The British Boxer programme has continued at pace this year despite the significant challenges that 2020 has set us. I am delighted that we are now beginning to see real term benefits to the UK from the investment in the programme and proud that we will be delivering a state-of-the art future capability to our British Armed Forces.”

The British Army will receive Boxer vehicles across four variants: Infantry Carrier, Specialist Carrier, Command and Ambulance.  Boxer has a service life of over 30 years and will play a major role in the British Army’s Strike concept, as well as ensuring compatibility with NATO allies.

“MilDef Group are delighted to supply high-performance products together with RBSL into one of the UK MoD’s strategic vehicle programmes,” says Duncan Skinner, Chief Sales Officer at MilDef Group. “MilDef Ltd continues its expansion in the UK defence industry and this contract is an example of the exciting times ahead for the company.”

Much of the fleet is planned to be built in Telford and Stockport by main contractors RBSL and WFEL, supported by a nationwide supply chain that will secure around 1,000 jobs nationwide and create an ambitious UK apprenticeship scheme. The aim is to have the first vehicles in service in 2023.