The Australian startup Breaker Industries is currently integrating its voice-controlled human-machine interface Avalon into the GTK Boxer in cooperation with Rheinmetall Defence Australia. The two companies signed a corresponding agreement on the opening day of the Land Forces 2026 defense expo on October 6 in Perth. Development is to take twelve months, including testing, by mid-2027. Breaker chose the Boxer because of its “digital backbone” as the first platform for Avalon.
This is software that enables a person to control drones through verbal commands, just as they are used among human soldiers. Breaker calls this a “digital crew member.” Already six months after development began, the company demonstrated how a vehicle commander, after less than 30 minutes of instruction using his normal headset, can control a swarm of drones while continuing to perform his usual tasks.
Boxer with Avalon also an option for Germany?
According to Breaker, the system could one day also be used to control the vehicle itself, for example by ordering the turret to monitor a specific area. This is technically feasible, but many cultural barriers would have to be overcome. Australia is currently procuring a total of 211 Boxer vehicles, 136 of them as Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) with the 30-mm Lance turret. The first 25 were delivered from Germany, while Block II is manufactured in Brisbane.
Conversely, Germany has so far received 123 vehicles with minor changes as Heavy Weapons Carrier Infantry from Australia. There, the Boxer is also planned in five additional versions, four of which – Command, Fire Control, Recovery, and Repair Vehicle – are already fully developed. Rheinmetall Defence Australia sees the possibility of introducing Avalon also to Boxer users in Europe. Breaker also expects that Avalon could be integrated into further vehicles such as the forthcoming Australian infantry fighting vehicle AS21 Redback.
