The Boxer was initially developed as a German-French-British collaboration for an armored fighting vehicle that could fulfill various battlefield roles through a modular design. However, the French eventually left the program to produce its own VBCI, while the British also decided to go their own way in favor of the (still in development) FRES, leaving Germany as well as the Netherlands who later joined the program as well. The Boxer is a conventionally designed AFV with welded steel armor that is enhanced by add-on ceramic plates. It can carry as many as eight fully loaded troops, which dismount via a ramp in the rear hull. Furthermore, its modular design allows for the installation of numerous different turrets to the basic hull (which is the same among all variants) depending on its role as an IFV, APC, or other non-combat roles. The Boxer is the largest and heaviest vehicle of its class, weighing in at over 33 metric tons when fully loaded but can be airlifted in an A400M and also features NBC protection as well as certain stealth characteristics in its hull design. Production of the Boxer is underway for both German and Dutch army requirements, in which they will gradually replace the Fuchs and M113s in the former, and the YPR-765 and M557 for the Dutch. Additional export customers include Australia, Lithuania, and the UK (which lacks a heavy tracked APC), the latter which will produce it as a joint venture between Rheinmetall and BAE Systems Land.

Origins of what became the Boxer GFK (Gepanzertes Transport Kraftfahrzeug) started in the late 1990s and the first prototype was revealed in late 2002. Politically-related delays resulted in production of the basic Boxer APC version beginning only in 2008, under a joint venture between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall MAN known as ARTEC. This features advanced network and communications systems, mine protection, and various armament configurations, featuring either machine guns or grenade launchers. Meanwhile, the Boxer IFV is equipped with a 30-mm MK30-2/ABM autocannon with additional armament options as well. Both APC and IFV versions can carry up to eight fully-equipped troops. Other existing or proposed variants include an ambulance, armored engineer vehicle, battle damaged repair vehicle, cargo vehicle and command post, and potentially an air defense platform.