The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) has commissioned ARTEC to deliver further Schakal (German for ‘Jackal’) wheeled infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), based on the Boxer 8×8 multi-role armoured vehicle, to the German and Dutch armed forces, Rheinmetall announced on 29 October 2026.
ARTEC is the joint venture between Rheinmetall and KNDS Deutschland responsible for development of the Boxer.
Under the contract 35 Schakal IFVs will be delivered for Germany’s Bundeswehr and 34 for the Royal Netherlands Army.
The Schakal wheeled IFV combines the chassis of the Boxer 8×8 armoured vehicle with the turret of the tracked Puma IFV produced by KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetall.
The two-option call-offs have a combined order value in the medium three-digit million-euro range, according to Rheinmetall. According to current plans, the vehicles are to be delivered between May 2032 and November 2033.
The original main contract awarded to ARTEC in October 2025 covered 222 vehicles in total, with 150 allocated to Germany and 72 to the Netherlands.
This latest order thus raises the German Schakal fleet size to 185 vehicles and the Dutch Schakal fleet size to 106.
The total number of Schakal vehicles to be delivered now stands at 291.
“The activation of additional options for the Schakal confirms our customers’ confidence in this state-of-the-art system”, Dr Björn Bernhard, head of Rheinmetall’s Vehicle Systems Division, was quoted as saying in a Rheinmetall press release. “It also gives us greater insurance for us as an industry and for our suppliers concerning the planning. Together with our partners, we are contributing significantly to the modernisation of European land forces and are strengthening industrial capacity in Europe.”
Schakal features
The Schakal IFV “combines modularity, mobility, protection and firepower to the highest degree,” Rheinmetall stated. “This enables medium forces to cover long distances independently in the shortest possible time.”
The Schakal features state-of-the-art fire control technology, digital networking, a high level of protection, and can carry six fully equipped troops in addition to its crew of three. Its KNDS RCT30 unmanned remote-controlled turret carries the MK 30-2/ABM 30 mm autocannon manufactured by Rheinmetall and a coaxial 7.62 mm MG5 machine gun, which are complemented a MELLS anti-tank missile launcher system compatible with Spike LR missiles.
“Together, these provide adequate firepower against a wide variety of targets in dynamic combat situations,” Rheinmetall stated, adding, “As the Schakal is part of the Boxer family, training, logistics and lifecycle costs are reduced.”
