title: Ecclesiastes

text: The subjects of Ecclesiastes are the pain and frustration engendered by observing and meditating on the distortions and inequities pervading the world, the uselessness of human ambition, and the limitations of worldly wisdom and righteousness. The phrase "under the sun" appears twenty-nine times in connection with these observations; all this coexists with a firm belief in God, whose power, justice and unpredictability are sovereign. History and nature move in cycles, so that all events are predictable and unchangeable, and life, without the sun, has no meaning or purpose: the wise man and the man who does not study wisdom will both die and be forgotten: man should be reverent (i.e., fear God), but in this life it is best to simply enjoy God's gifts.


title: Ecclesiastes

text: In Judaism, Ecclesiastes is read either on Shemini Atzeret (by Yemenites, Italians, some Sephardim, and the mediaeval French Jewish rite) or on the Shabbat of the intermediate days of Sukkot (by Ashkenazim). If there is no intermediate Shabbat of Sukkot, Ashkenazim too read it on Shemini Atzeret (or, in Israel, on the first Shabbat of Sukkot). It is read on Sukkot as a reminder to not get too caught up in the festivities of the holiday and to carry over the happiness of Sukkot to the rest of the year by telling the listeners that, without God, life is meaningless.


title: Ecclesiastes

text: The final poem of Kohelet has been interpreted in the Targum, Talmud and Midrash, and by the rabbis Rashi, Rashbam and ibn Ezra, as an allegory of old age.


title: Ecclesiastes

text: Ecclesiastes has been cited in the writings of past and current Catholic Church leaders. For example, Doctors of the Church have cited Ecclesiastes. St. Augustine of Hippo cited Ecclesiastes in Book XX of "City of God". Saint Jerome wrote a commentary on Ecclesiastes. St. Thomas Aquinas cited Ecclesiastes ("The number of fools is infinite.") in his .


title: Ecclesiastes

text: The 20th-century Catholic theologian and cardinal-elect Hans Urs von Balthasar discussed Ecclesiastes in his work on theological aesthetics, "The Glory of the Lord". He describes Qoheleth as "a critical transcendentalist ", whose God is distant from the world, and whose is a "form of time which is itself empty of meaning". For Balthasar, the role of Ecclesiastes in the Biblical canon is to represent the "final dance on the part of wisdom, [the] conclusion of the ways of man", a logical end-point to the unfolding of human wisdom in the Old Testament that paves the way for the advent of the New.


title: Ecclesiastes

text: The book continues to be cited by recent popes, including Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis. Pope John Paul II, in his general audience of October 20, 2004, called the author of Ecclesiastes "an ancient biblical sage" whose description of death "makes frantic clinging to earthly things completely pointless". Pope Francis cited Ecclesiastes in his address on September 9, 2014. Speaking of vain people, he said, "How many Christians live for appearances? Their life seems like a soap bubble."


title: Ecclesiastes

text: Ecclesiastes has had a deep influence on Western literature. It contains several phrases that have resonated in British and American culture, such as "eat, drink and be merry", "nothing new under the sun", "a time to be born and a time to die", and "vanity of vanities; all is vanity". American novelist Thomas Wolfe wrote: "[O]f all I have ever seen or learned, that book seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man's life upon this earth—and also the highest flower of poetry, eloquence, and truth. I am not given to dogmatic judgments in the matter of literary creation, but if I had to make one I could say that Ecclesiastes is the greatest single piece of writing I have ever known, and the wisdom expressed in it the most lasting and profound."


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: HMS "Dreadnought" was a Royal Navy battleship whose design revolutionised naval power. The ship's entry into service in 1906 represented such an advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of ships named after her. Likewise, the generation of ships she made obsolete became known as "pre-dreadnoughts". Admiral Sir John "Jacky" Fisher, First Sea Lord of the Board of Admiralty, is credited as the father of "Dreadnought". Shortly after he assumed office in 1904, he ordered design studies for a battleship armed solely with guns and a speed of . He convened a "Committee on Designs" to evaluate the alternative designs and to assist in the detailed design work.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" was the first battleship of her era to have a uniform main battery, rather than having a few large guns complemented by a heavy secondary armament of smaller guns. She was also the first capital ship to be powered by steam turbines, making her the fastest battleship in the world at the time of her completion. Her launch helped spark a naval arms race as navies around the world, particularly the Imperial German Navy, rushed to match it in the build-up to the First World War.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: Ironically for a vessel designed to engage enemy battleships, her only significant action was the ramming and sinking of German submarine ; thus she became the only battleship confirmed to have sunk a submarine. "Dreadnought" did not participate in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 as she was being refitted. Nor did "Dreadnought" participate in any of the other First World War naval battles. In May 1916 she was relegated to coastal defence duties in the English Channel, before rejoining the Grand Fleet in 1918. The ship was reduced to reserve in 1919 and sold for scrap two years later.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: Gunnery developments in the late 1890s and the early 1900s, led in the United Kingdom by Percy Scott and in the United States by William Sims, were already pushing expected battle ranges out to an unprecedented , a distance great enough to force gunners to wait for the shells to arrive before applying corrections for the next salvo. A related problem was that the shell splashes from the more numerous smaller weapons tended to obscure the splashes from the bigger guns. Either the smaller-calibre guns would have to hold their fire to wait for the slower-firing heavies, losing the advantage of their faster rate of fire, or it would be uncertain whether a splash was due to a heavy or a light gun, making ranging and aiming unreliable. Another problem was that longer-range torpedoes were expected to soon be in service and these would discourage ships from closing to ranges where the smaller guns' faster rate of fire would become preeminent. Keeping the range open generally negated the threat from torpedoes and further reinforced the need for heavy guns of a uniform calibre.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: In 1903, the Italian naval architect Vittorio Cuniberti first articulated in print the concept of an all-big-gun battleship. When the Italian Navy did not pursue his ideas, Cuniberti wrote an article in "Jane's Fighting Ships" advocating his concept. He proposed an "ideal" future British battleship of , with a main battery of a dozen 12-inch guns in eight turrets, 12 inches of belt armour, and a speed of .


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The Royal Navy (RN), the Imperial Japanese Navy and the United States Navy all recognised these issues before 1905. The RN modified the design of the to include a secondary armament of guns that could fight at longer ranges than the guns on older ships, but a proposal to arm them solely with 12-inch guns was rejected. The was laid down as an all-big-gun battleship, five months before "Dreadnought", but gun shortages allowed her to be equipped with only four of the twelve 12-inch guns that had been planned. The Americans began design work on an all-big-gun battleship around the same time in 1904, but progress was leisurely and the two s were not ordered until March 1906, five months after "Dreadnought" was laid down, and the month after she was launched.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The invention by Charles Algernon Parsons of the steam turbine in 1884 led to a significant increase in the speed of ships with his dramatic unauthorised demonstration of his yacht "Turbinia" with her speed of up to at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee at Spithead in 1897. After further trials of two turbine-powered destroyers, and , coupled with the positive experiences of several small passenger ships with turbines, "Dreadnought" was ordered with turbines.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The Battle of the Yellow Sea and Battle of Tsushima were analysed by Fisher's Committee, with Captain William Pakenham's statement that "12-inch gunfire" by both sides demonstrated hitting power and accuracy, whilst 10-inch shells passed unnoticed. Admiral Fisher wanted his board to confirm, refine and implement his ideas of a warship that had both the speed of 21 knots and 12-inch guns, pointing out that at the Battle of Tsushima, Admiral Togo had been able to cross the Russians' "T" due to speed. The long-range () engagement during the Battle of the Yellow Sea, in particular, although never experienced by any navy prior to the battle, seemed to confirm what the RN already believed.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: Admiral Fisher proposed several designs for battleships with a uniform armament in the early 1900s, and he gathered an unofficial group of advisors to assist him in deciding on the ideal characteristics in early 1904. After he was appointed First Sea Lord on 20 October 1904, he pushed through the Board of Admiralty a decision to arm the next battleship with 12 inch guns and that it would have a speed no less than 21 knots. In January 1905, he convened a "Committee on Designs", including many members of his informal group, to evaluate the various design proposals and to assist in the detailed design process. While nominally independent it served to deflect criticism of Fisher and the Board of Admiralty as it had no ability to consider options other than those already decided upon by the Admiralty. Fisher appointed all of the members of the committee and he was President of the Committee.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The committee decided on the layout of the main armament, rejecting any superfiring arrangements because of concerns about the effects of muzzle blast on the open sighting hoods on the turret roof below, and chose turbine propulsion over reciprocating engines to save in total displacement on 18 January 1905. Before disbanding on 22 February, it decided on a number of other issues, including the number of shafts (up to six were considered), the size of the anti-torpedo boat armament, and most importantly, to add longitudinal bulkheads to protect the magazines and shell rooms from underwater explosions. This was deemed necessary after the was thought to have survived a Japanese torpedo hit during the Russo–Japanese War by virtue of her heavy internal bulkhead. To avoid increasing the displacement of the ship, the thickness of her waterline belt was reduced by .


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The Committee completed its deliberations on 22 February 1905 and reported their findings in March of that year. It was decided due to the experimental nature of the design to delay placing orders for any other ships until "Dreadnought" and her trials had been completed. Once the design had been finalised the hull form was designed and tested at the Admiralty's experimental ship tank at Gosport. Seven iterations were required before the final hull form was selected. Once the design was finalized, a team of three assistant engineers and 13 draughtsmen produced detailed drawings. To assist in speeding up the ship's construction, the internal hull structure was simplified as much as possible and an attempt was made to standardize on a limited number of standard plates, which varied only in their thickness.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" was significantly larger than the two ships of the "Lord Nelson" class, which were under construction at the same time. She had an overall length of , a beam of , and a draught of at deep load. She displaced at normal load and at deep load, almost more than the earlier ships. She had a metacentric height of at deep load and a complete double bottom.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: Officers were customarily housed aft, but "Dreadnought" reversed the old arrangement, so that the officers were closer to their action stations. This was very unpopular with the officers, not least because they were now berthed near the noisy auxiliary machinery while the turbines made the rear of the ship much quieter than they had been in earlier steamships. This arrangement lasted among the British dreadnoughts until the of 1910. The crew numbered 700 officers and ratings in 1907, but increased to 810 in 1916.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: Vickers, Sons & Maxim was the prime contractor for the ship's machinery, but as they had no large turbine experience, they sourced them from Parsons. "Dreadnought" was the first battleship to use turbines in place of the older reciprocating triple-expansion steam engines. She had two paired sets of direct-drive turbines, each of which drove two diameter, three-bladed propellers using steam provided by 18 Babcock & Wilcox boilers that had a working pressure of . The turbines, rated at , were intended to give a maximum speed of 21 knots; the ship reached from during her sea trials on 9 October 1906.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" carried of coal, and an additional of fuel oil that was to be sprayed on the coal to increase its burn rate. At full capacity, she could steam for at a speed of .


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought"s main armament consisted of ten 45-calibre BL 12-inch Mark X guns in five twin Mark BVIII gun turrets. The forward turret ('A') and two aft turrets ('X' and 'Y') were located along the centreline of the ship. Two wing turrets ('P' and 'Q') were located port and starboard of the forward superstructure respectively. "Dreadnought" could deliver a broadside of eight guns between 60° before the beam and 50° abaft the beam. Beyond these limits she could fire six guns aft, and four forward. On bearings 1° ahead or astern she could fire six guns, although she would have inflicted blast damage on the superstructure.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The guns could be depressed to −3° and elevated to +13.5°. They fired projectiles at a muzzle velocity of , giving a maximum range of with armour-piercing (AP) 2 crh shells. Using the more aerodynamic, but slightly heavier, 4 crh AP shells extended the range to . The rate of fire of these guns was about two rounds per minute. The ships carried 80 rounds per gun.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The secondary armament initially consisted of twenty-seven 50-calibre, quick-firing (QF) 12-pounder 18 cwt Mark I guns. The guns had an elevation range between −10° and +20°. They fired projectiles at a muzzle velocity of . The guns had a rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute. The ship carried three hundred rounds for each gun.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The original plan was to dismount the eight guns on the forecastle and quarterdeck and stow them on chocks on the deck during daylight to prevent them from being damaged by muzzle blast from the main guns. Gun trials in December 1906 proved that this was more difficult than expected and the two port guns from the forecastle and the outer starboard gun from the quarterdeck were transferred to turret roofs, giving each turret two guns. The remaining forecastle guns and the outer port gun from the quarterdeck were removed by the end of 1907, which reduced the total to twenty-four guns. During her April–May 1915 refit, the two guns from the roof of 'A' turret were reinstalled in the original positions on the starboard side of the quarterdeck. A year later, the two guns at the rear of the superstructure were removed, reducing the ship to twenty-two guns. Two of the quarterdeck guns were given high-angle mounts for anti-aircraft duties and the two guns abreast the conning tower were removed in 1917.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: A pair of QF six-pounder () Hotchkiss anti-aircraft guns on high-angle mountings were mounted on the quarterdeck in 1915. They had a maximum depression of −8° and a maximum elevation of +60°. The shell was fired at a muzzle velocity of . They were replaced by a pair of QF 3-inch 20 cwt guns on high-angle Mark II mounts in 1916. These guns had a maximum depression of 10° and a maximum elevation of 90°. They fired a 12.5-pound shell at a muzzle velocity of at a rate of 29 rounds per minute. They had a maximum effective ceiling of .


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" carried five 18-inch (450 mm) submerged torpedo tubes, two on each broadside and one in the stern. Twenty-three torpedoes were carried for them. In addition six torpedoes were carried for her steam picket boats.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" was one of the first vessels of the Royal Navy to be fitted with instruments for electrically transmitting range, order and deflection information to the turrets. The control positions for the main armament were located in the spotting top at the head of the foremast and on a platform on the roof of the signal tower. Data from a Barr and Stroud FQ-2 rangefinder located at each control position was input into a Dumaresq mechanical computer and electrically transmitted to Vickers range clocks located in the Transmitting Station located beneath each position on the main deck, where it was converted into range and deflection data for use by the guns. Voice pipes were retained for use between the Transmitting Station and the control positions. The target's data was also graphically recorded on a plotting table to assist the gunnery officer in predicting the movement of the target. The turrets, Transmitting Stations, and control positions could be connected in almost any combination.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: Firing trials against in 1907 revealed this system's vulnerability to gunfire, as its spotting top was hit twice and a large splinter severed the voice pipe and all wiring running along the mast. To guard against this possibility, "Dreadnought"s fire-control system was comprehensively upgraded during her refits in 1912–13. The rangefinder in the foretop was given a gyro-stabilized Argo mount and 'A' and 'Y' turrets were upgraded to serve as secondary control positions for any portion or all of the main armament. An additional 9-foot rangefinder was installed on the compass platform. In addition, 'A' turret was fitted with another 9-foot rangefinder at the rear of the turret roof and a Mark I Dreyer Fire Control Table was installed in the main Transmitting Station. It combined the functions of the Dumaresq and the range clock.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: Fire-control technology advanced quickly during the years immediately preceding the First World War, and the most important development was the director firing system. This consisted of a fire-control director mounted high in the ship which electrically provided data to the turrets via pointers, which the turret crew were to follow. The director layer fired the guns simultaneously which aided in spotting the shell splashes and minimised the effects of the roll on the dispersion of the shells. A prototype was fitted in "Dreadnought" in 1909, but it was removed to avoid conflict with her duties as flagship of the Home Fleet. Preparations to install a production director were made during her May–June 1915 refit and every turret received a rangefinder at the same time. The exact date of the installation of the director is not known, other than it was not fitted before the end of 1915, and it was most likely mounted during her April–June 1916 refit.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" used Krupp cemented armour throughout, unless otherwise mentioned. Her waterline belt measured thick, but tapered to at its lower edge. It extended from the rear of 'A' barbette to the centre of 'Y' barbette. Oddly, it was reduced to abreast 'A' barbette. A extension ran from 'A' barbette forward to the bow and a similar 4 inch extension ran aft to the stern. An bulkhead was angled obliquely inwards from the end of the main belt to the side of 'X' barbette to fully enclose the armoured citadel at middle deck level. An 8-inch belt sat above the main belt, but only ran as high as the main deck. One major problem with "Dreadnought"s armour scheme was that the top of the 11 inch belt was only above the waterline at normal load and it was submerged by over 12 inches at deep load, which meant that the waterline was then protected only by the 8 inch upper belt.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The turret faces and sides were protected by 11 inches of armour, while the turret roofs used 3 inches of Krupp non-cemented armour (KNC). The exposed faces of the barbettes were 11 inches thick, but the inner faces were 8 inches thick above the main deck. 'X' barbette's was 8 inches thick all around. Below the main deck, the barbettes' armour thinned to four inches except for 'A' barbette (eight inches) and 'Y' which remained 11 inches thick. The thickness of the main deck ranged from . The middle deck was thick on the flat and where it sloped down to meet the bottom edge of the main belt. Over the magazine for 'A' and 'Y' turrets it was 3 inches thick, on slope and flat both. The lower deck armour was forward and 2 inches aft where it increased to 3 inches to protect the steering gear.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The sides of the conning tower were 11 inches thick and it had a 3-inch roof of KNC. It had a communications tube with 8 inch walls of mild steel down to the Transmitting Station on the middle deck. The walls of the signal tower were 8 inches thick while it had a roof of 3 inches of KNC armour. 2 inch torpedo bulkheads were fitted abreast the magazines and shell rooms of 'A', 'X' and 'Y' turrets, but this increased to 4 inches abreast 'P' and 'Q' turrets to compensate for their outboard location.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: In common with all major warships of her day, "Dreadnought" was fitted with anti-torpedo nets, but these were removed early in the war, since they caused considerable loss of speed and were easily defeated by torpedoes fitted with net-cutters.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: Electrical power was provided by three 100 kW, 100 V DC Siemens generators, powered by two Brotherhood steam and two Mirrlees diesel engines (which later changed to three steam and one diesel). Among the equipment powered by 100 volt DC and 15 volt DC electrical systems were five lifts (elevators), eight coaling winches, pumps, ventilation fans, lighting and telephone systems.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" was the sixth ship of the RN to bear the name "Dreadnought", which means "fear nothing". To meet Admiral Fisher's goal of building the ship in a single year, material was stockpiled in advance and a great deal of prefabrication was done from May 1905 onwards with approximately 6,000 man weeks of work expended before she was formally laid down on 2 October 1905 on No.5 Slip. In addition, she was built at HM Dockyard, Portsmouth which was regarded as the fastest-building shipyard in the world. The slip was screened from prying eyes and attempts made to indicate that the design was no different to other battleships. 1,100 men were already employed by the time she was laid down, but soon this number rose to 3,000. Whereas on previous ships the men had worked a 48-hour week, they were required on "Dreadnought" to work a 69-hour, six-day week from 06:00 to 18:00, which included compulsory overtime with only a 30-minute lunch break. While double shifting was considered to ease the long hours which were unpopular with the men, this was not possible due to labour shortages. Day 6 (7 October), the first of the bulkheads and most of the middle-deck beams were in place. By Day 20, the forward part of the bow was in position and the hull plating was well underway. By Day 55 all of the upper-deck beams were in place, and by Day 83 the upper deck plates were in position. By Day 125 (4 February), the hull was finished.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" was christened with a bottle of Australian wine by King Edward VII on 10 February 1906, after only four months on the ways. The bottle required multiple blows to shatter on a bow that later became famous. Signifying the ship's importance the launch had been planned to be a large elaborate festive event, however as the court was still in mourning for Queen Alexandra's father who had died twelve days before, she did not attend and a more sober event occurred. Following the launch, fitting out of the ship occurred at No.15 Dock.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: On 1 October 1906, steam was raised and she went to sea on 3 October 1906 for two days of trials at Devonport, only a year and a day after construction started. On the 9th she undertook her eight-hour-long full-power contractor trials off Polperro on the Cornwall coast during which she averaged 20.05 knots and 21.6 knots on the measured mile. She returned to Portsmouth for gun and torpedo trials before she completed her final fitting out. She was commissioned into the fleet on 11 December 1906, fifteen months after she was laid down.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The suggestion that her building had been sped up by using guns and/or turrets originally designed for the Lord Nelson-class ships which preceded her is not borne out as the guns and turrets were not ordered until July 1905. It seems more likely that "Dreadnought"s turrets and guns merely received higher priority than those of the earlier ships.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" sailed for the Mediterranean Sea for extensive trials in December 1906 calling in at Arosa Bay, Gibraltar and Golfo d'Aranci before crossing the Atlantic to Port of Spain, Trinidad in January 1907, returning to Portsmouth on 23 March 1907. During this cruise, her engines and guns were given a thorough workout by Captain Reginald Bacon, Fisher's former Naval Assistant and a member of the Committee on Designs. His report stated, "No member of the Committee on Designs dared to hope that all the innovations introduced would have turned out as successfully as had been the case." During this time she averaged between Gibraltar and Trinidad and from Trinidad to Portsmouth, an unprecedented high-speed performance. This shakedown cruise revealed several issues that were dealt with in subsequent refits, notably the replacement of her steering engines and the addition of cooling machinery to reduce the temperature levels in her magazines (cordite degrades more quickly at high temperatures). The most important issue, which was never addressed in her lifetime, was that the placement of her foremast behind the forward funnel put the spotting top right in the plume of hot exhaust gases, much to the detriment of her fighting ability.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: From 1907–1911, "Dreadnought" served as flagship of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. In 1910, she attracted the attention of notorious hoaxer Horace de Vere Cole, who persuaded the Royal Navy to arrange for a party of Abyssinian royals to be given a tour of a ship. In reality, the "Abyssinian royals" were some of Cole's friends in blackface and disguise, including a young Virginia Woolf and her Bloomsbury Group friends; it became known as the "Dreadnought" hoax. Cole had picked "Dreadnought" because she was at that time the most prominent and visible symbol of Britain's naval might.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: She was replaced as flagship of the Home Fleet by in March 1911 and was assigned to the 1st Division of the Home Fleet. She participated in King George V's Coronation Fleet Review in June 1911. "Dreadnought" became flagship of the 4th Battle Squadron in December 1912 after her transfer from the 1st Battle Squadron, as the 1st Division had been renamed earlier in the year. Between September and December 1913 she was training in the Mediterranean Sea.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, she was flagship of the 4th Battle Squadron in the North Sea, based at Scapa Flow. She was relieved as flagship on 10 December by . Ironically for a vessel designed to engage enemy battleships, her only significant action was the ramming and sinking of German submarine , skippered by K/Lt Otto Weddigen (of fame), on 18 March 1915. "U-29" had broken the surface immediately ahead of "Dreadnought" after firing a torpedo at "Neptune", and "Dreadnought" cut the submarine in two after a short chase. She almost collided with who was also attempting to ram the submarine. "Dreadnought" thus became the only battleship ever to purposefully sink an enemy submarine.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: She was refitting at Portsmouth from 18 April–22 June 1916 and missed the Battle of Jutland on 31 May, the most significant fleet engagement of the war. "Dreadnought" became flagship of the 3rd Battle Squadron on 9 July, based at Sheerness on the Thames, part of a force of pre-dreadnoughts intended to counter the threat of shore bombardment by German battlecruisers. During this time, she fired her AA guns at German aircraft that passed over her headed for London. She returned to the Grand Fleet in March 1918, resuming her role as flagship of the 4th Battle Squadron, but was paid off on 7 August 1918 at Rosyth. She was recommissioned on 25 February 1919 as the tender "Hercules" to act as a parent ship for the Reserve.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: "Dreadnought" was put up for sale on 31 March 1920 and sold for scrap to Thos. W. Ward on 9 May 1921 as one of the 113 ships that the firm purchased at a flat rate of £2. 10/- per ton, later reduced to £2. 4/- per ton. As "Dreadnought" was assessed at 16,650 tons, she cost the shipbreaker £36,630 though another source states £44,750. She was broken up at Ward's new premises at Inverkeithing, Scotland, upon arrival on 2 January 1923. Very few artefacts from "Dreadnought" have survived, although a gun tompion is in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: Her design so thoroughly eclipsed earlier types that subsequent battleships of all nations were generically known as "dreadnoughts" and older battleships as "pre-dreadnoughts". Her very short construction time was intended to demonstrate that Britain could build an unassailable lead in the new type of battleships. Her construction sparked a naval arms race, and soon all major fleets were adding "Dreadnought"-like ships.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: In 1960, Britain's first nuclear submarine was named . The name will be used again for the lead ship of the new class of Trident missile submarines.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: The modern acoustic guitar developed with a wide, deep body was named the Dreadnought shape after this ship.


title: HMS Dreadnought (1906)

text: In 2014, a newly classified genus of Titanosaurid sauropod dinosaurs was named "Dreadnoughtus" due to its gigantic size making it "virtually impervious" to attack; the name, which means "fear nothing," was inspired by the battleship.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The Boxer is a multirole armoured fighting vehicle designed by an international consortium to accomplish a number of operations through the use of installable mission modules. The governments participating in the Boxer programme have changed as the programme has developed. The Boxer vehicle is produced by the ARTEC GmbH ("armoured vehicle technology") industrial group, and the programme is being managed by OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation). ARTEC GmbH is based in Munich; its parent companies are Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH and Rheinmetall Military Vehicles GmbH on the German side, and Rheinmetall Defence Nederland B.V. for the Netherlands. Overall, Rheinmetall has a 64% stake in the joint venture.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: A distinctive and unique feature of the vehicle is its composition of a drive platform module and interchangeable mission modules which allow several configurations to meet different operational requirements.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Other names in use or previously used for Boxer are GTK ('; "armoured transport vehicle") Boxer and MRAV"' ("Multi Role Armoured Vehicle"). Confirmed Boxer customers as of April 2022 are Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Australia and the UK. The Boxer has been produced and seen service in A0, A1 and A2 configurations. The UK Boxer will be A3 configuration. Australian deliveries are an A2/A3 hybrid.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: "With exceptions for style and ease of reading, the following development and production history is presented in as near-chronological order as possible."


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The Boxer started in 1993 as a joint venture design project between Germany and France, with the UK joining the project in 1996. In November 1999 a £70 million contract for eight prototype vehicles (four each, Germany and the UK) was awarded. France left the programme in 1999 to pursue its own design, the Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie (VBCI). In February 2001, the Netherlands joined the programme and an additional four prototypes were built for the Netherlands. Boxer, then known as GTK/MRAV/PWV, was unveiled on 12 December 2002. The name Boxer was announced when the second prototype appeared. At this time the first production run was to have been 200 for each country.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The UK Ministry of Defence announced its intention to withdraw from the Boxer programme and focus on the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) in July 2003. In October 2003, the first Dutch prototype was delivered. In October 2006 the Netherlands confirmed the procurement of 200 Boxer to replace the M577 and the support variants of the YPR-765 in the Royal Netherlands Army. Deliveries were scheduled to run from 2013 through to 2018, and within the RNLA the baseline Boxer is called the Pantserwielvoertuig (PWV).


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: On 13 December 2006 the German parliament approved the procurement of 272 Boxers for the German Army, to replace some of its M113 and Fuchs TPz 1 vehicles. Production of Boxer had been scheduled to commence in 2004, but production was delayed and the first production example was delivered to the German Army in September 2009. Over seven years, prototypes accrued over 90,000 km of reliability trials and over 90,000 km of durability trials. There are three production facilities for Boxer, one in the Netherlands (Rheinmetall) and two in Germany (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall).


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In December 2015 it was announced that Germany had ordered an additional 131 Boxers worth EUR476 million and that Lithuania had selected the Boxer.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In August 2016 a EUR385.6 million production contract was placed by Lithuania for the supply of 88 Boxers, and at this time it was stated that 53 Boxer would be manufactured by KMW and the remaining 35 by Rheinmetall, with deliveries running 2017–2021. In Lithuanian service the vehicle is designated as Vilkas (Wolf). The precise mix/number of Lithuanian vehicles was initially unclear but according to Janes, Lithuania will receive 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 in December 2017. The first two Boxer in IFV configuration were delivered in June 2019 and at this time the Lithuanian MoD stated that 15 vehicles would be delivered in 2019, and that all 89 IFV variants would be delivered by the end of 2023.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Most of the original German Army Boxer order were delivered in A1 configuration, however 40 APC and 16 command post were delivered in A0 configuration, but these were subsequently upgraded to A1 configuration. In June 2017 it was announced that the Bundeswehr's Boxer A1 fleet would be upgraded to A2 standard. The first A2 Boxer was delivered in June 2015. The differences between A1 and A2 configuration are relatively minor electrical and mechanical engineering changes. The A2 standard resulted from operations in Afghanistan and incorporates changes in the drive and mission modules that include preparation for the integration of a driver vision system, changes to the stowage concept in both modules, changes to the gearbox, integration of a fire suppression system, modification of the RCWS, interface for an IED jammer, satellite communication system and other minor modifications." The latest Boxer variant is the A3, the British the first customer for A3 in its entirety.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In July 2017 ARTEC awarded the then Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) a €21 million contract to upgrade 38 Bundeswehr Boxer command vehicles to A2 configuration with work scheduled for completion in mid 2020. At this time the Bundeswehr also had 124 Boxer APCs, 72 ambulances and twelve driver training vehicles to upgrade to A2 status.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In February 2018 it was announced that Slovenia had selected the Boxer as the basis for two new mechanised infantry battle groups. In November it was revealed that pricing issues had impacted the Slovenian procurement timeline and that a new proposal from industry was pending. According to the Slovenian MoD's initial release on the subject, funding had been allocated for the procurement of 48 vehicles in 2018-2020 for the first battle group, which was expected to become operational by 2022, followed by the second in 2025. The desired total was reported to be 112 Boxer (96 IFV, 16 mortar) plus a small number of driver training vehicles. It was reported mid-2019 that the planned Boxer procurement had been suspended, the MoD deciding to conduct research and draw up a new comprehensive tactical study relating to the formation of a medium infantry battalion group, this likely to affect the procurement of 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicles. The ministry will then re-examine options available and make a decision on how to build a medium infantry battalion group capability.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In July 2016 it had been announced that the Boxer was one of two vehicle types (from four) down-selected to take part in the 12-month Risk Mitigation Activity for Australia's Land 400 Phase 2 project, and in March 2018 it was announced that Rheinmetall Defense Australia (RDA) had been selected as the preferred tenderer for that project which at the time called for 211 vehicles, with a roll out of initial vehicles by 2021 and deliveries scheduled to be complete by 2026. In Australian service the Boxer will replace the army's ageing fleet of 257 Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV) that reach their life-of-type around 2021. Under Rheinmetall's offering, the first batch of 20 to 25 vehicles will be built in Germany with Australians embedded into teams to learn the necessary skills before transferring back to Australia for the build of the remaining vehicles. RDA's Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in Brisbane, Queensland, will be the hub for the production of the majority of the vehicles, the local build programme including about 40 local suppliers. These industrial opportunities will create up to 1,450 jobs across Australia, The acquisition and sustainment of the vehicles is costed at AUD15.7 billion (US$12.2 billion), acquisition worth AUD5.2 billion, the remaining AUD10.5 billion costed for sustainment over the vehicles' 30-year life.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In March 2018 it was announced by the UK government that it was re-joining the Boxer programme, and in April 2018 it was announced that Boxer had been selected by the British Army to meet its Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) requirement. No details relating to quantity, cost, timeline or any contractual status was given. It was first reported in October 2016 that the British Ministry of Defence had taken its first formal step towards government-to-government acquisition of Boxer. At DSEI 2017, a Boxer in a Union Jack paint scheme was shown by Rheinmetall to promote the vehicle for the MIV requirement. In November 2017, a company of German army mechanised infantry equipped with 11 Boxers exercised with British Army units on Salisbury Plain. British Army sources denied that the exercise was linked to any decision on a procurement process for its MIV project. In February 2018 it was reported that Artec had signed agreements with UK suppliers, this contributing to the fact that 60% by value of the MIV contract will be done in Britain, along with final assembly of the MIVs at facilities already owned by the consortium.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In July 2018 there were three Boxer-related announcements made over a period of three days. On 17 July the Dutch MoD announced that the last Dutch Boxer had rolled off the production line, this being a cargo variant. On 18 July the Lithuanian MoD announced that the country's first two Boxer prototypes had entered trials in Germany. On 19 July 2018 the UK MoD disclosed its intent to order between 400 and 600 Boxers in four variants plus driver training vehicles, reference vehicles and support, with the first vehicles to be in-service by 2023. The contract will contain options to increase the quantity of vehicles by up to an additional 900.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In March 2019 the Australian Ambassador to Germany inspected the first Boxer being delivered to the Australian Government under the Land 400 Phase 2 programme prior to its shipping to Australia., and in July 2019 the first two of the 25 Boxer being built in Germany arrived in Australia. The 25 vehicles delivered from Germany are split 13 reconnaissance platforms and 12 multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs). Once in Australia, these vehicles will receive a number of Australia specific modifications prior to final delivery to the Army. The first vehicles were in use for training purposes by October 2020. Rheinmetall will deliver 211 Boxer to the Australian Army under and in service Boxer will fill seven different roles on the battlefield: reconnaissance, command and control, joint fires, surveillance, multi-purpose, battlefield repair and recovery. The reconnaissance variant will account for 133 of the 211 vehicles and is equipped with Rheinmetall's Lance turret system and armed with a 30 mm automatic cannon.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Also in July 2019 the first two Boxer (Vilkas) IFVs ordered by Lithuania were officially handed over to the MoD. The MoD stated that 15 Vilkas would be delivered in 2019 and all 89 vehicles would be delivered by the end of 2023.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In September 2019 there were three Boxer-related announcements. On 10 September it was revealed that the target date for the UK's MIV programme to receive its main gate approval was 22 October 2019. It was reported that the business case for the purchase of an initial batch of 508 vehicles, valued at about GBP1.2 billion (US$1.48 billion), was currently under scrutiny by financial, commercial, and technical experts before receiving final approval by ministers. UK MoD officials submitted their final business case for the purchase of the Boxer MIVs on 9 September 2019 to meet the British Army's target of getting its first Boxer in service by 2023. At the 2019 Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition (DSEI 2019) in London, Germany's Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) presented an armoured recovery mission module (ARM) for the Boxer Christoph Jehn, FFG's project manager, stated the ARM was developed as a private venture from 2017. The company noticed Boxer users struggling to recover stranded vehicles with the aid of other Boxers and so decided to develop the bespoke mission module for the purpose. The ARM has an approximate weight of 13 tonnes, is manned by two personnel and connects to the Boxer using standard mechanical interfaces. On 24 September 2019 it was announced that the first Boxer for the Australian Army had formally been handed over. The turretless vehicle was the first of 25 Boxers – 13 multipurpose and 12 reconnaissance variants – that are being manufactured in Germany through to 2021 to meet an early Australian capability requirement for familiarisation and training purposes. Production of the other 186 platforms will begin in late 2020/early 2021 at a military vehicle centre of excellence constructed by Rheinmetall at Ipswich, southwest of Brisbane, and that formally opened in October 2020. This is the company's largest facility outside Germany.<ref name="Jane's Armoured Fighting Vehicles 2019-2020 GTK/MRAV/PWV (Boxer) Wheeled Armoured Vehicle Programme"></ref> Also in September 2019 reports emerged that Algeria had selected the Boxer and that production would commence shortly. As of Q1 2022 this had not been confirmed by ARTEC.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In November 2019 the UK Ministry of Defence awarded ARTEC a US$2.97 billion (GBP2.3 billion) contract to deliver more than 520 Boxer vehicles in multiple configurations.<ref name="Jane's Armoured Fighting Vehicles 2021 GTK/MRAV/PWV (Boxer) Wheeled Armoured Vehicle Programme"></ref>


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In January 2020 in an interview with Shaun Connors of Jane's, Stefan Lischka, MD of ARTEC, stated that only 8% of UK Boxers would be manufactured in Germany with the remainder being assembled at and delivered from two sites in the UK, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) at Telford and KMW subsidiary WFEL at Stockport. Deliveries of series examples should start very early in 2023.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In November 2020 it was announced that ARTEC consortium partners Rheinmetall Landsysteme and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) had awarded two separate subcontracts to Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) and WFEL respectively for the local production of Boxer for the UK. RBSL and WFEL were selected by Rheinmetall and KMW respectively to be the UK Tier 1 suppliers and will operate one Boxer production line each. The value of KMW's contract has not been announced but is known to involve at least 480 drive modules being produced by WFEL in the UK, with under half of them being assembled by WFEL into full vehicles covering the Infantry Carriers, Specialist Carriers and Ambulance variants. The remaining drive modules being produced by WFEL will be shipped to RBSL to construct the other full vehicles in a number of variants, including the Specialist Carrier. Rheinmetall's contract with RBSL is worth US$1.15 billion (GPB860 million) and involves the manufacture of 262 Boxer vehicles at RBSL's assembly line in Telford, UK. All of these vehicles will either be the Specialist Carrier or Command vehicles.<ref name="Jane's Armoured Fighting Vehicles 2020-2021 GTK/MRAV/PWV (Boxer) Wheeled Armoured Vehicle Programme Jan 2021"></ref>


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (, BAAINBw) awarded Rheinmetall a contract at the end of January 2021 to upgrade 27 more Boxer command vehicles to the A2 standard, this award bringing all the Bundeswehr's Boxer command vehicles up A2 standard.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In December 2019 Germany's BAAINBw ordered 10 Boxer C-UAV (Counter UAV) systems. By June 2020 all elements of the system had passed the critical design review and a live firing had been conducted. It was aimed to deliver the first systems to the Bundeswehr by the close of 2020. Boxers with the C-UASs will be used to protect the NATO Response Force Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) when Germany retakes leadership of the service in 2023.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The Bundeswehr announced in June 2020 that it would replace the Wiesel weapon carrier with a mission module bringing the combination of a 30 mm cannon and Spike-LR anti-tank guided missile from the Puma infantry fighting vehicle to the wheeled platform. The heavy weapon carrier will be the fifth version of the Boxer in service with the German Army and current planning calls for training to begin on the new heavy weapon carrier in 2025, with the first three infantry battalions to be equipped with the system by 2027. No contract is currently in place.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: In September 2021 OCCAR announced a new reconnaissance vehicle mission module for the Bundeswehr known as the Joint Fire Support Team (heavy) differentiating it from the smaller Fennek scout car. The new variant will be centered around a sensor mast known as the Panoramic Above Armour Gimbal (PAAG) and built by Thales, with imaging sensors for visible to thermal infrared spectra and rangefinding and targeting lasers. Prototype delivery is expected in 2023 and full proection in 2025.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: On 8 April 2022 it was disclosed that British Army would receive an additional 100 Boxer, bringing the order total to 623. No variant breakdown or other details was provided.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The Boxer is an eight-wheeled multirole vehicle that at the time of its development easily exceeded most comparable vehicles in weights and dimensions. In recent years the size/weight differences between Boxer and its contemporaries has reduced considerably, with Boxer quoted to have a combat weight of 36.5 tonnes in 2016 in A1 and A2 configurations, while vehicles such as ST Kinetics' Terrex 3 had a quoted combat weight of 35 tonnes, and Nexter's VBCI, Patria's AMV and General Dynamics' Piranha V all weighing in around the 32 to 33 tonne mark. Current combat weight of the Boxer in A3 configuration is quoted as up to 38.5 tonnes. However, Artec conducted trials in December 2021 with a Boxer weighing 41 tonnes. The vehicle, which was ballasted and without a mission module, traversed gaps up to 2.2 m, climbed a 60° slope, and surmounted a 1 m vertical step during trials. Artec managing director Stefan Lischka stated that there was no actual customer requirement for such a heavy Boxer at this time. The heaviest current version is the remote-controlled howitzer (RCH) version at 39 tonnes.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Boxer consists of two key elements: the platform/drive-line (the drive module) and the removable mission module.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The drive module contains the wheels and the engine. It is also known as the platform or the drive-line module. The A iterations applied to Boxer are specific to the drive module. Initial production examples were A0 and less than 60 were delivered. Main production was A1, followed in 2015 by A2. Current production standard depending on user is either A2 or A3. Australia is receiving an A2/A3 hybrid, in that it will receive the latest A3 drive module (rated at 38,500 kg) but with the A2 standard engine rating of


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The platform/drive module has the driver located front right, with the power pack to the left. The MTU/Allison powerpack can be replaced under field conditions in about 30 minutes and can, if required, be run outside of the vehicle for test purposes. Boxer is full-time all-wheel drive, the front four wheels steering. Suspension is double-wishbone coil springs, independent all round. Tyres are either 415/80 R27 or 415/80 R685, and a central tire inflation system and run-flat inserts are fitted.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The mission module contains the mission-specific elements, such as weapons, equipment or crew. It is a key (and unique) feature of Boxer. Mission modules are interchangeable pod-like units that are fitted to drive modules to form a complete mission variant vehicle. Mission modules are attached by four points and can be swapped within an hour under field conditions. The driver can access their compartment through the mission module or in an emergency via the large single-piece power-operated hatch above this position.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Production Boxers are fitted with a variety of armament ranging from a 7.62 mm light machine gun in a remote weapon station to a 30 mm cannon in a turret. Numerous armament options are offered.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Most in-service Boxers are equipped with a remote weapon station for self-defense. Dutch vehicles are fitted with the Protector M151 RWS from Kongsberg fitted with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. German vehicles are usually fitted with the FLW-200 from KMW, which can be fitted with either a 7.62 mm MG3 machine gun, a 12.7 mm M3M HMG or a 40 mm GMW automatic grenade launcher. The FLW-200 has dual-axis stabilization and incorporates a laser rangefinder and a thermal imager.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: 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 turret is fitted with an independent commander's sight with both commander and gunner provided with thermal and daylight channels.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Australian Boxer CRVs mount the Rheinmetall Lance 30 mm two-man turret, fitted with the Rheinmetall Mauser MK30-2/ABM (air-bursting munition) dual-feed stabilised cannon and 7.62 mm coaxial MG. Turret traverse is all electric through a full 360° with weapon elevation from -15° to +45°. A Rheinmetall computerised fire-control system is installed, which allows stationary and moving targets to be engaged. The gunner has a Rheinmetall Stabilised Electro-Optical Sighting System (SEOSS), which typically has day/thermal channels and an eye-safe laser rangefinder. The commander has a Rheinmetall SEOSS panoramic sighting system, which allows hunter/killer target engagements to take place.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The 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.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: 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.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: To increase survivability in case of armour penetration, the crew compartment is completely covered by an AMAP-L spall liner. The spall liner stops most of the fragments of the armour and projectile brought about by hull penetration. To further enhance crew protection, the seats are decoupled from the floor, this preventing the shock of a mine-detonation being directly transmitted to the crew. The roof armour of the Boxer is designed to withstand artillery fragments and top attack weapons such as bomblets fitted with a High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The Boxer drive module A1 (as designated by the German BWB) is an upgraded version of the baseline A0 version of the Boxer drive module, with the primary difference being the installation of a mine protection package fitted to the belly and wheel stations of the vehicle. The vehicle is fitted an additional armour package focused on protecting against side and underbody blast threats. This consists of the AMAP-M and AMAP-IED packages. An unspecified electronic countermeasure (ECM) system was also fitted to counter IEDs. These changes result in a 1,058 kg weight increase for the A1 over the baseline A0 APC variant. For the A2 Boxer protection is reported to have been increased further.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The powerpack of Boxer consists of a MTU 8V199 TE20 diesel engine developing (originally) 720 hp and coupled to an Allison HD4070 fully automatic transmission with seven forward and three reverse gears. The powerpack can be replaced under field conditions in approximately 20 minutes. The MTU 8V199 TE20 engine is a militarised development of the Mercedes-Benz OM 500 truck engine, modified by MTU to produce increased power via changes to the turbocharger, fuel injection and cooling systems. To maintain mobility levels at increased weights, the 8V199 TE20 is now available developing either or , and when the drive module is fitted with the 600 kW version of this engine it is designated A3. Boxer is fitted with three fuel tanks containing a total of 562 litres, divided between a 280-litre front tank, 238-litre rear tank, and a 44-litre reserve tank.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Boxer has full-time 8×8 drive with differential locks on all axles and the front four wheels steer. Tyres are 415/80R 27 Michelin XML on German and Dutch Boxers. The Land 400 prototypes were fitted with 415/80R 685 Michelin XForce 2 tyres, these having a 500 kg per wheel greater load rating than the XML and being more 'all-terrain' in design than the rocks/mud-optimised XML.<ref name="Jane's Armoured Fighting Vehicles 2017-2018 GTK/MRAV/PWV (Boxer) Wheeled Armoured Vehicle Programme January 2018"></ref> Standard tyre fit for Australian and UK Boxers will be 415/80R 685 Michelin XForce ZL rated to carry 5,600 kg each.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: A central tire inflation system (CTIS) is fitted, and run-flat inserts allow for 30 km travel at up to 50 km/h in the event of a puncture. Braking is provided by Knott pneumatic ABS on all wheels with main braking power actuated on the front two axles. Suspension is fully independent double wishbone with coil springs.<ref name="Jane's Armoured Fighting Vehicles 2016-2017 GTK/MRAV/PWV (Boxer) Wheeled Armoured Vehicle Programme May 2017"></ref>


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Boxer can be transported in the Airbus A400M tactical airlifter, albeit not in one piece. With a capacity of around 32-tonnes, the loading ramp of an A400M cannot accommodate a Boxer so the drive and mission modules need to be separated for transport. Two Boxers can be transported by three A400Ms, two for the drive modules and a third for the mission modules.<ref name="Jane's Armoured Fighting Vehicles 2020-2021 GTK/MRAV/PWV (Boxer) Wheeled Armoured Vehicle Programme May 2017"></ref>


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: As of April 2022 Artec outlined 23 mission modules for Boxer, and suggested that two more would soon be introduced. Of the 23, 10 were stated to be delivered or being delivered, five contracted, and the remaining eight at prototype/concept stage. Of note, Artec can in some instances define the same mission module function as separate Mission Module types, an example being Dutch and German Ambulance modules which account for two of the 23 outlined modules.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: United Kingdom: The UK will procure Boxer in three/four (source dependent) main variants. These are the baseline protected mobility (PM) variant (MIV-PM), a command and control (MIV-CC), an ambulance (MIV-A), and a repair/recovery (MIV-REP) variant. In terms of numbers, 285 personnel-carrying variants are on order, divided into 85 infantry carriers, 60 engineer section vehicles, 62 recce/fire support vehicles, and 28 mortar carriers. Another 50 of the APC variants are to be configured as repair vehicles (MIV-REP) and these are dependent on source presented as the fourth variant. A total of 177 Boxer are ordered in the C4I configurations, again divided into 123 command-and-control (C2) and C2 utility vehicles, 19 observation post vehicles, 24 beyond-line-of-sight observation platforms, and 11 EW and SIGINT platforms. The remaining 61 are to be ambulances.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Australia: Of the seven Boxer variants required by Australia there is also a joint fires mission module and a surveillance mission module.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: Germany: Germany's BAAINBw ordered 10 Boxer C-UAV (Counter UAV) systems in December 2019, placing contracts with Kongsberg and Hensoldt in a EUR24 million contract, with delivery to be completed within 24 months. By June 2020 all elements of the system had passed the critical design review and a live firing had been conducted. It was aimed to deliver the first systems to the Bundeswehr by the close of 2020. The initial operational capability requires only a single sensor, which provides a 120° coverage in azimuth. Boxers with the C-UASs will be used to protect the NATO Response Force Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) when Germany retakes leadership of the service in 2023.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: The Bundeswehr's Wiesel weapon carrier will be replaced by the Boxer heavy weapon carrier and this will be armed with the same 30 mm cannon as the Puma infantry fighting vehicle and Mehrrollenfähiges leichtes Lenkflugkörper-System (Multirole-capable Light Missile System, MELLS), the Bundeswehr's designation for Spike LR. The turret will also be equipped with a 360° vision system and warning and observation systems. The heavy weapon carrier will be the fifth version of the Boxer in service with the German Army and current planning calls for training to begin on the new heavy weapon carrier in 2025, with the first three infantry battalions to be equipped with the system by 2027. No contract is currently in place.


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: As part of the Joint Fire Support Team (JFST) contract four prototype Boxer configured with Panoramic Above Armour Gimbals (PAAGs) will be manufactured in 2023, with a follow-on production contract anticipated in 2025. Integration of the PAAG will create a new German Army Boxer variant termed the Joint Fire Support Team schwer (JFSTsw).


title: Boxer (armoured fighting vehicle)

text: During an interview with Jane's at IAV 2020, Stefan Lishka, MD of ARTEC commented that the term "configuration" had superseded variant for Boxers, and Boxer modules. The reason for this was that some current/planned variants (build configurations) are interchangeable by crew members.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin (; born 17 December 1970), also known by the alias Igor Ivanovich Strelkov (), is a Russian army veteran and former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer who played a key role in the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and later the war in Donbas as an organizer of militant groups in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).


title: Igor Girkin

text: While leading a group of separatist militants into Ukraine in the 2014 Siege of Sloviansk, Girkin gained influence and attention, being appointed to the position of Minister of Defense in the Donetsk People's Republic, a puppet state of Russia.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Girkin was dismissed from his position in August 2014, after 298 people died when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down. Dutch prosecutors charged Girkin and three others for murder, and issued an international arrest warrant against him. Girkin has admitted "moral responsibility" but denies pushing the button. On 17 November 2022, Girkin was found guilty for the murder of 298 people, convicted of all charges in absentia, and issued a life sentence.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Girkin, a self-described Russian nationalist, was charged by Ukrainian authorities with terrorism. He has been sanctioned by the European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, and Ukraine for his leading role in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have called him a retired colonel of the GRU (Russia's external military intelligence organisation).


title: Igor Girkin

text: After his service in the war, Girkin returned to Russia as a political activist in 2014, reportedly believing that the "liberal clans" (liberal part of Russian elites) must be destroyed in favor of "law enforcement" ones. In 2016, he formed a political group advocating to "[unite] the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, and other Russian lands into a single all-Russian state and [transform] the entire territory of the former USSR into an unconditional zone of Russian influence."


title: Igor Girkin

text: During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Girkin regained attention as a milblogger, taking a strong pro-war stance but fiercely criticizing the military for what he saw as incompetence and "insufficiency". In October 2022, Girkin joined a volunteer unit fighting against Ukrainian forces.


title: Igor Girkin

text: According to "The New York Times", "his ideological rigidity precedes any connections he has to Russia's security services, stretching back at least to his days at the Moscow State Institute for History and Archives. There, Girkin obsessed over military history and joined a small but vocal group of students who advocated a return to monarchism."


title: Igor Girkin

text: Vice News claimed that "during the 1990s, Girkin wrote for the right-wing Russian newspaper "Zavtra", which is run by the anti-Semitic Russian nationalist Alexander Prokhanov" and where Alexander Borodai was an editor. Writing for "Zavtra" ("Tomorrow"), Girkin and Borodai, who too was reported to have fought for Russia-backed Transnistria and Republika Srpska separatists in Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina, together covered the Russian war against separatists in Chechnya and Dagestan.


title: Igor Girkin

text: He would also often write as a "Colonel in the Reserves" on Middle East subjects, such as the conflicts in Libya, Egypt and Syria, and for the Abkhazian Network News Agency (ANNA), a Russian-language pro-Russian publication which supports Abkhazian separatism in Georgia.


title: Igor Girkin

text: The Russian media has identified Girkin as an officer of the Russian military reserves who has expressed hardline views on eliminating perceived enemies of the Russian state. He has fought on the federal side in Russian counter-separatist campaigns in Chechnya and on the pro-Moscow separatist side in the conflict in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria.


title: Igor Girkin

text: In 1999, he published his memoirs of the fighting in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2014, he was accused by Bosnian media (Klix.ba) and a retired Bosnian Army officer of having been involved in the Višegrad massacres in which thousands of civilians were killed in 1992.


title: Igor Girkin

text: The BBC reported Girkin may have worked for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in a counter-terrorism unit, citing Russian military experts. According to Russian media, he has served as an FSB officer and his last role before retirement was reportedly with the FSB's Directorate for Combating International Terrorism.


title: Igor Girkin

text: In 2014 Anonymous International disclosed what it said were Girkin's personal emails, revealing that he had served in the FSB for 18 years from 1996 to March 2013, including in Chechnya from 1999 to 2005, "The Moscow Times" reported. The newspaper also said Girkin was born in Moscow and that it contacted him by email and phone but that he would not confirm the claims. A local pro-Russia militia leader in Ukraine, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, a self-described old friend of Girkin's, said the information about Girkin was true. His pseudonym "Strelkov" ("Strelok") can be roughly translated as "Rifleman" or "Shooter". He has also been dubbed Igor Groznyy ("Igor the Terrible").


title: Igor Girkin

text: Alexander Cherkasov, head of Russia's leading human rights group Memorial, is convinced that the "Igor Strelkov" involved in Ukraine is the same person as a Russian military officer called "Strelkov", who was identified as being directly responsible for at least six instances (on four occasions) of the forced disappearance and presumed murder of residents of Chechnya's mountain Vedensky District village of Khatuni and nearby settlements of Makhkety and Tevzeni in 20012002, when "Strelkov" was attached to the 45th Detached Reconnaissance Regiment special forces unit of the Russian Airborne Troops based near Khatuni.


title: Igor Girkin

text: None of these crimes were solved by official investigations. The website of Chechnya's official human rights ombudsman lists several residents of Khatuni who went missing in 2001 (Beslan Durtayev and Supyan Tashayev) as having been kidnapped from their homes and taken to the 45th DRR base by the officers known as "Colonel Proskuryn and Strelkov Igor". Another entry lists the missing person Beslan Taramov as abducted in 2001 in the village of Elistandzhi by the 45th DRR servicemen led by "Igor Strelko (nicknamed Strikal)".


title: Igor Girkin

text: Cherkasov also lists Durtayev and Tashayev (but not Taramov) among the alleged victims of "Strelkov". Cherkasov and other observers suspected it was in fact the same "Strelkov" until May 2014, when Girkin himself confirmed he has been present at Khatuni in 2001, where he fought against the "local population".


title: Igor Girkin

text: According to Cherkasov, as a result of Girkin's actions in Chechnya, two sisters of one of those "disappeared", Uvais Nagayev, in effect turned to terrorism and died three years later: one of these sisters, Aminat Nagayeva, blew herself up in the 2004 Russian aircraft bombings over the Tula Oblast aboard a Tu-134 "Volga-Aeroexpress" airliner, killing 43. The other sister, Rosa Nagayeva, participated in the Beslan hostage crisis that same year.


title: Igor Girkin

text: The emails leaked in May 2014 and allegedly authored by Girkin contain his diaries from Bosnia and Chechnya that he sent to his friends for review. One story describes an operation of capturing Chechen activists from a village of Mesker-Yurt. Asked by one of friends why he didn't publish them, Girkin explained that "people we captured and questioned almost always disappeared without trace, without court, after we were done" and this is why these stories cannot be openly published.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Girkin was one of the major "Russian self-defence" commanders in the 2014 Crimean crisis. In an interview on 22 January 2015, he explained that the "overwhelming national support for the self-defence" as portrayed by the Russian media was fiction, and a majority of the law enforcement, administration and army were opposed to it. Girkin stated that under his command, the rebels "collected" deputies into the chambers, and had to "forcibly drive the deputies to vote [to join Russia]". He was also reported to be instrumental in negotiating the 2014 defection of the Ukrainian Navy commander Denis Berezovsky.


title: Igor Girkin

text: According to an accomplice, Girkin arrived in Crimea describing himself as the "Kremlin's emissary," and soon after formed the Crimean self-defense forces. His position was above that of self-declared Crimea prime minister Sergei Aksyonov. His main task in March 2014 was the accelerated military training of the newly formed Crimean forces, and selecting the best among them for transfer to the invasion of the Donbas. Girkin personally negotiated and oversaw the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Crimea.


title: Igor Girkin

text: According to Girkin, the head of the newly instituted Russian government in Crimea Sergei Aksyonov asked him to deal with the northern provinces.


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 12 April 2014, Girkin led a group of militants who seized the executive committee building, the police department, and the Security Service of Ukraine offices in Sloviansk. Girkin claimed that his militia was formed in Crimea and consisted of volunteers from Russia, Crimea, and also from other regions of Ukraine (Vinnitsa, Zhitomir, Kyiv) and many people from Donetsk and the Luhansk region. According to him, two-thirds were Ukrainian citizens.


title: Igor Girkin

text: The majority of men in the unit had combat experience. Many of those with Ukrainian citizenship had fought in the Russian Armed Forces in Chechnya and Central Asia, while others had fought in Iraq and Yugoslavia with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In an interview, Girkin stated that he was given orders not to give up Sloviansk.


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 15 April 2014 the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) opened a criminal proceeding against "Igor Strelkov" for his actions in Sloviansk and Crimea, describing him as the chief organizer of the "terror" in Sloviansk Raion, including an ambush that killed one and wounded three SBU officers.


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 16 April, he allegedly sought to recruit Ukrainian soldiers captured at the entrance to Kramatorsk.


title: Igor Girkin

text: The SBU presented Girkin's presence in Donbas as proof of Russia's involvement in the East Ukraine crisis. They released intercepted telephone conversations between "Strelkov" and his supposed handlers in Moscow. Russia denied any interference in Ukraine by its troops outside Crimea.


title: Igor Girkin

text: In July 2014, Ukrainian authorities alleged that Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu coordinated all of Girkin's actions, supplying him and "other terrorist leaders" with "the most destructive weapons" since May and instructing him directly, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Ukrainian government claims Girkin was behind the 17 April 2014 kidnapping, torture and murder of a local Ukrainian politician Volodymyr Rybak and a 19-year-old college student Yury Popravko. Rybak's abduction by a group of men in Horlivka was recorded on camera. The SBU released portions of intercepted calls in which another Russian citizen, alleged GRU officer and Girkin's subordinate Igor Bezler orders Rybak to be "neutralized", and a subsequent conversation in which "Strelkov" is heard instructing Ponomarev to dispose of Rybak's body, which is "lying here [in the basement of the separatist headquarters in Sloviansk] and beginning to smell."


title: Igor Girkin

text: Rybak's corpse with a smashed head, multiple stab wounds and ripped stomach was found later in April in a river near Sloviansk. Popravko's body was found nearby. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov described Girkin as "a monster and a killer". The incident helped prompt the government's "anti-terrorist" military offensive against the pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine.


title: Igor Girkin

text: In an interview with "Radio-KP" on 18 January 2016, Girkin acknowledged that he used extrajudicial punishment, and at least four people were executed by firing squad while he was in Sloviansk. In May 2020 Girkin confessed in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon that he ordered the killing of Popravko and another man: "Yes, these people were shot on my orders. No one ripped open their stomach. Do I regret that they were shot? No, they were enemies." Girkin also stated that the killing of Rybak was also to some extent under his responsibility.


title: Igor Girkin

text: During the weekend of 26–27 April 2014, the political leader of the separatist-controlled Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Girkin's long-time friend, Alexander Borodai, also a Russian national from Moscow, ceded control of all separatist fighters in the entire Donetsk region to him. On 26 April, "Strelkov" made his first public appearance when he gave a video interview to "Komsomolskaya Pravda" where he confirmed that his militia in Sloviansk came from Crimea.


title: Igor Girkin

text: He said nothing about his own background, denied receiving weapons or ammunition from Russia, and announced that his militia would not release the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observers that it had taken hostage unless pro-Russia activists were first freed by the Ukrainian government. On 28 April, the EU sanctioned "Igor Strelkov" as a GRU staff member believed to be a coordinator of armed actions and a security assistant to Crimea's Sergey Aksyonov.


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 29 April, Girkin appointed a new police chief for Kramatorsk. On 12 May, "I. Strelkov" declared himself "the Supreme Commander of the DPR" and all of its "military units, security, police, customs, border guards, prosecutors, and other paramilitary structures".


title: Igor Girkin

text: According to a report issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "reportedly, on 26 May, by order of Strelkov, Dmytro Slavov ('commander of a company of the people's militia') and Mykola Lukyanov ('commander of a platoon of the militia of Donetsk People's Republic') were "executed" in Sloviansk, after they were "sentenced" for "looting, armed robbery, kidnapping and abandoning the battle field". The order, which was circulated widely and posted in the streets in Slovyansk, referred to a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR of 22 June 1941 as the basis for the execution."


title: Igor Girkin

text: The report also mentions Girkin's efforts to recruit local women into his armed formations: "A particular call for women to join the armed groups was made on 17 May through a video released with Girkin "Strelkov", urging women of the Donetsk region to enlist in combat units." Sloviansk's separatist "people's mayor" and former boss of Girkin, Ponomarev, was himself detained on an order of Girkin on 10 June for "engaging in activities incompatible with the goals and tasks of the civil administration".


title: Igor Girkin

text: Girkin and his militants fled from Sloviansk on the night of 4–5 July 2014, during a large-scale offensive by the Ukrainian military, following the end of a 10-day ceasefire on 30 June. Sloviansk was then captured by Ukrainian forces, thus ending the separatist occupation of the city which had started on 6 April. Shortly before this, a video was posted on YouTube in which Girkin desperately pleaded for military aid from Russia for "Novorossiya" ("New Russia", an historical name for South-East Ukraine with particular popularity amongst separatists) and said Sloviansk "will fall earlier than the rest".


title: Igor Girkin

text: Other rebel leaders denied Girkin's assessment that the people's militia were on the verge of collapse. One of them, the self-proclaimed "people's governor" of Donetsk Pavel Gubarev, compared Girkin to the 19th century Russian general Mikhail Kutuzov, claiming that both "Strelkov" and Kutuzov would "depart only before a decisive, victorious battle".


title: Igor Girkin

text: His retreat was strongly criticized by the Russian nationalist Sergey Kurginyan. A rumor inside Russian ultranationalist circles alleged Russia's powerful "grey cardinal" figure Vladislav Surkov conspired with east Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov to organize a campaign against "Strelkov" as well as against the Eurasianism ideologue Alexander Dugin. Kurginyan accused Girkin of surrendering Sloviansk and not keeping his oath to die in Sloviansk.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Kurginyan believes that surrendering Sloviansk is a war crime, and Girkin should be responsible for that. The DPR security minister Alexander Khodakovsky, who defected from the SBU Alpha Group and who commanded the rebel Vostok Battalion, also protested and threatened a mutiny.


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 10 July 2014, news outlet Mashable reported finding execution orders three days earlier for Slavov and Lukyanov in Girkin's abandoned Sloviansk headquarters. The orders were signed "Strelkov" with the name Girkin Igor Vsevolodovich printed underneath. Also sentenced to death was Alexei Pichko, a civilian who was caught stealing two shirts and a pair of pants from an abandoned house of his neighbour. According to an unconfirmed story, his body "had been dumped on the front lines" after he was executed.


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 24 July, Ukrainian authorities exhumed several corpses from a mass grave site on the grounds of a children's hospital near the Jewish cemetery in Slovyansk, which might contain as many as 20 bodies of those executed by order of Girkin. Among the identified victims were four Ukrainian Protestants who the police and locals said had been kidnapped on 8 June, after attending a service at their church. They were falsely accused of helping the Ukrainian Army, robbed for their cars, and shot the following day.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Multiple sources cited a post on the VKontakte social networking service that was made by an account under Girkin's name which acknowledged shooting down an aircraft at approximately the same time that the civilian airliner Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) was reported to have crashed in eastern Ukraine in the same area near the Russian border on 17 July 2014. The post specifically referenced how warnings were issued for planes not to fly in their airspace and the downing of a Ukrainian military Antonov An-26 transport plane which the Ukraine Crisis Media Center suggested was a case of misidentification with the MH17.


title: Igor Girkin

text: This post was deleted later in the day and the account behind it claimed that Girkin has no official account on this social service. Most of the 298 victims in the plane's crash came from the Netherlands. On 19 July the country's biggest newspaper "De Telegraaf" included Girkin's photo in the front page collage of pro-Russian rebel leaders under the one-word headline "Murderers" ("Moordenaars"). Russian opposition lawyer and politician Mark Feygin posted a purported order by Girkin where he instructs all his men and commanders who "have in their possession personal effects from this plane" to deliver the found items to his HQ so "the valuables (watches, earrings, pendants, and other jewelry and items from valuable metals)" would be transferred to "the Defense Fund of the DPR."


title: Igor Girkin

text: Girkin was the author of an alternative version of the incident, wherein "no living people were aboard the plane as it flew on autopilot from Amsterdam, where it had been loaded with "rotting corpses"." This lie was then


title: Igor Girkin

text: At his press-conference on 28 July 2014, Girkin denied his connection to the downed plane and announced that his militants were killing "black-skinned" mercenaries.


title: Igor Girkin

text: In July 2015 a writ was filed in an American court by families of 18 victims formally accusing Girkin of "orchestrating the shootdown". The writ claimed damages of US$900 million and was brought under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991.


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 19 June 2019, the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT), investigating the shooting down of MH17, officially announced a criminal case against Girkin and three other men. The court proceedings were scheduled to start on 9 March 2020 before the District Court of The Hague, at the The JIT said it would ask Russia to extradite the suspects who are currently on Russian soil, saying: "The criminal trial will take place even if the suspects choose not to appear in court." Interfax news agency quoted Girkin as saying: "I do not give any comments. The only thing I can say is the rebels did not shoot down the Boeing."


title: Igor Girkin

text: According to ITAR-TASS news agency on Wednesday, 13 August 2014, Girkin was seriously wounded the previous day in fierce fighting in the pro-Russian rebel held territories of Eastern Ukraine, and was described to be in "grave" condition. DNS representative Sergei Kavtaradze refuted this news shortly after, saying Girkin is "alive and well".


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 14 August the leadership of the DNR announced that Girkin was dismissed from his position of defense minister "on his own request" as he was assigned "some other tasks". On 16 August the Russian TV-Zvezda claimed that Girkin was "on vacation". It claimed that he was appointed as a military chief of the combined forces of Luhansk and Donetsk (he had been in command of Donetsk forces only) and after he returns he will be put to a task of creating an unified command over the forces of the Federal State of Novorossiya. According to Stanislav Belkovskiy, the main reason for the removal of Girkin from the "defense minister" position was the amount of attention caused by the downing of MH17 and the negative impact on Russia's actions in Ukraine that it caused.


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 22 August a former rebel Anton Raevsky ("Nemetz") said in an interview in Rostov-on-Don that Girkin and his supporters are being cleansed from the DNR by the FSB, because of this insufficient compliance with Kremlin's policy on the republic. According to the Nemtsov Report, Girkin later acknowledged that he resigned from his official position in the DNR due to pressure from the Kremlin.


title: Igor Girkin

text: In November 2014 in an interview for "Moscow Speaking" radio, Girkin said that "the existence of Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics in their current form, with the low-profile but still bloody war, is definitely convenient for USA in the first place, and only for them, because they are the ulcer that divides Russia and Ukraine". Later in November in an interview for "Zavtra" newspaper Girkin stated that the war in Donbas was launched by his detachment despite both Ukrainian government and local combatants having avoided an armed confrontation before. Also he recognized himself responsible for the actual situation in Donetsk and other cities of the region.


title: Igor Girkin

text: In late April 2014, "Strelkov" was identified by Ukrainian intelligence as Colonel Igor Girkin, registered as a resident of Moscow. Journalists visiting the apartment where he allegedly lived with his mother, sister, as well as his former wife and two sons, were told by neighbors that a "fancy black car" had that same morning picked up the woman living there. The neighbors also described him as "polite" and quiet.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Girkin claims that he worked as a security chief for the controversial Russian businessmen Konstantin Malofeev. The Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic Alexander Borodai was also a close associate of the businessman.


title: Igor Girkin

text: According to the 2022 Bellingcat investigation, Girkin was using a Russian internal passport issued in the fictional name of Sergey Viktorovich Runov. Runov was the surname of his maternal grandfather, as well as the maiden name of his mother (as Runova). Passports from the same series have been used by several FSB operatives, including Zelimkhan Khangoshvili murderer Vadim Krasikov and members of the FSB squad involved in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Andrey Piontkovsky adduces Girkin's name among the those of like-minded persons and says, "The authentic high-principled Hitlerites, true Aryans Dugin, Prokhanov, Prosvirin, Kholmogorov, Girkin, Prilepin are a marginalized minority in Russia." Piontkovsky adds, "Putin has stolen the ideology of the Russian Reich from the domestic Hitlerites, he has preventively burned them down, using their help to do so, hundreds of their most active supporters in the furnace of the Ukrainian Vendée." In his interview with Radio Liberty, Piontkovsky says, maybe the meaning of the operation conducted by Putin is to reveal all these potential passionate leaders of social revolt, send them to Ukraine and burn them in the furnace of the Ukrainian Vendée.


title: Igor Girkin

text: In his interview with Oleksandr Chalenko on 2 December 2014, according to the journalist, Girkin confirmed that he is an FSB colonel, but this claim was then subjected to censorship and omitted from publishing. He also acknowledged that anarchy exists among the so-called Novorossiya militants. He stated that Igor Bezler's militants in particular acted independently, the so-called "Russian Orthodox Army" had split in half, and other forces represented a patchwork of various unrelated groups. Girkin criticised the ongoing attacks on the Donetsk International Airport as pointless and harmful.


title: Igor Girkin

text: After Luhansk commander Alexander "Batman" Bednov was killed by other militants in January 2015, Girkin criticised the killing as a "murder" and "gangster ambush", and suggested that other commanders seriously consider leaving Donbas to Russia, as he did. In a January 2015 interview for Anna News, Girkin said that in his opinion "Russia is currently at state of war", since the volunteers who arrive to Donbas "are being supplied with arms and shells". He also noted that "he never separated Ukraine from Soviet Union in his mind" so he considers the conflict as a "civil war in Russia".


title: Igor Girkin

text: In March 2016 Girkin's appearance as a panelist on a Moscow Economic Forum (MEF) along with Oleg Tsarev and Pavel Gubarev attracted critical reactions in Russia, with from Ekho Moskvy accusing MEF organizers of "promoting terrorism".


title: Igor Girkin

text: In May 2016, Girkin announced the creation of the Russian National Movement, a neo-imperialist political party. The party is in favor of "uniting the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, and other Russian lands into a single all-Russian state and transforming the entire territory of the former USSR into an unconditional zone of Russian influence." Girkin said "the Russian National Movement fully rejects President Vladimir Putin's regime and calls for an end to the current climate of fear and intimidation of Russia's citizens". The party has called for "strict quota system for migrant workers from the former Soviet republics in Central Asia and the Caucasus" and the cancelling of laws on internet control.


title: Igor Girkin

text: With the Russian invasion of Ukraine on late February, Girkin became again a public figure, covering the war though his warblog on Telegram. Girkin has a pro-war position, but has been noted for criticisms directed against the Russian military and the Ministry of Defence, including the defense minister Sergei Shoigu, in how the invasion has been unsuccessful, inefficient and insufficient. Unlike the liberal and pro-democracy opposition to Vladimir Putin and independent journalists who are persecuted for criticizing the war in Ukraine or Putin, ultra-nationalists and pro-war activists like Girkin are considered untouchable because they are protected by high-ranking members of the military and intelligence services. Bellingcat journalist Christo Grozev believes Girkin is shielded from being censored by a "war party" inside the FSB.


title: Igor Girkin

text: Due the initial failures of the Russian invasion, Girkin called on 29 March for a general mobilization. On 21 April Girkin raised the opinion that "without at least a partial mobilization in the Russian Federation, it will be impossible and highly dangerous to launch a deep strategic offensive against the so-called Ukraine".


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 13 May Girkin harshly criticized Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu, accusing him of "criminal negligence" in conducting the invasion.


title: Igor Girkin

text: On 15 August, Girkin was reportedly detained in Crimea while attempting to travel to the frontline near Kherson.


title: Igor Girkin

text: After large Ukrainian conteroffensives in September 2022, he predicted a complete defeat for Russian troops in Ukraine. He said that full mobilization in Russia was the "last chance" for victory. On 12 September, he called the Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants "very useful". He also said that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu should be executed by firing squad and called for the use of tactical nuclear weapons in order "to drive 20 million refugees to Europe."


title: Igor Girkin

text: In early October 2022 Girkin left for Ukraine in order to fight in one of the Russian volunteer units. That same month, it was reported that the Ukrainian government crowdfunded a US$150,000 reward for his capture. In December 2022, he wrote about his experience: "Simply put, the troops are fighting by inertia, not having the slightest idea of the ultimate strategic goals of the military campaign. In most parts of the RF [Russian Federation] Armed Forces, soldiers and officers do not understand: In the name of what, for what, and with what purposes they are fighting. It’s a mystery for them: What is the condition for victory or just a condition for ending the war."


title: Igor Girkin

text: Girkin is known as a fan of military-historical movement and has participated in several reenactments connected with various periods of Russian and international history, especially the Russian Civil War where he would play a White movement officer. His personal idol and role model is said to be the White Guard general Mikhail Drozdovsky, killed in a battle with the Red Army in 1919.


title: GOOD Music

text: GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with the Island Def Jam Music Group in 2011. In 2012, the label released its debut compilation album "Cruel Summer". In 2015, Pusha T was appointed the president of the label by West, while record executive Steven Victor was appointed COO.


title: GOOD Music

text: The label has released two number-one US "Billboard" Hot 100 singles, "All of Me" by John Legend, and "Panda" by Desiigner; as well as nine number-one US "Billboard" 200 albums: "Finding Forever" by Common; "Dark Sky Paradise", "I Decided", and "Detroit 2" by Big Sean; "The Life of Pablo", "Ye", "Jesus Is King", and "Donda" by Kanye West and "It's Almost Dry" by Pusha T.


title: GOOD Music

text: On October 25, 2022, Complex reported that G.O.O.D. Music is no longer a part of Def Jam Recordings. The last two releases, "It's Almost Dry" by Pusha T and "You Can’t Kill Me" by 070 Shake, were distributed by Def Jam in April and June, respectively. It is unclear when this deal ended.


title: GOOD Music

text: GOOD Music was founded in 2004 by Kanye West in conjunction with Sony BMG, shortly after the release of his debut album "The College Dropout".


title: GOOD Music

text: Ohio singer John Legend and fellow Chicago rapper Common were the label's initial artists, along with West himself. Legend's "Get Lifted" (2004) was the label's first album release, leading both the artist and label to tremendous success. The album received eight nominations and three wins at the 2006 Grammy Awards. The album contained the single "Ordinary People", which was nominated for and won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and peaked at number 24 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. In October 2006, Legend released his second album, "Once Again", which won Legend his second consecutive Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in the song "Heaven".


title: GOOD Music

text: Common's "Be" (2005), the label's second release, was the recipient of four Grammy Award nominations. The label later added GLC, Really Doe, Malik Yusef, Tony Williams and Consequence to its artists. West's second studio album, "Late Registration", included featured guest appearances by every artist signed to GOOD Music's roster at the time of its release in August 2005. In 2005, West came across a young Sean Anderson, known today as Big Sean, before a radio interview. After performing a freestyle, he left West with a demo tape, and in May 2007, Big Sean was signed to the label. In an August 2007 interview with "Billboard" West expressed regrets over starting the label:


title: GOOD Music

text: In 2008, British singer-songwriter Mr Hudson was signed, following the release of his debut "A Tale of Two Cities" (2007). There followed Kid Cudi, and manager Plain Pat. Kid Cudi's debut album, "" was released under GOOD Music on September 15, 2009. The album earned three Grammy nominations and was certified Gold by the RIAA. A month later Mr Hudson's solo debut, "Straight No Chaser", was released.


title: GOOD Music

text: In late 2010, West released several tracks featuring himself, and others members of the GOOD Music roster, in a free weekly giveaway known as, G.O.O.D. Fridays. In September 2010, Brooklyn rapper Mos Def was signed. Shortly afterwards Consequence released a diss track and left the label. The following month Pusha T announced his signing to the label. Late in 2010, Kid Cudi released his second studio album "", followed by West's fifth album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". West, Pusha T, Big Sean, Common and Cyhi the Prynce took part in a cypher at the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards.


title: GOOD Music

text: In April 2011, West signed American rapper and producer Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest. Kanye West also signed producer Hit-Boy, to Very Good Beats. In 2011, West signed Nigerian artists D'banj and Don Jazzy. In June 2011, GOOD Music signed their first distribution agreement, with Def Jam Recordings. Big Sean's debut "Finally Famous" was the first album released by GOOD Music with distribution by Def Jam.


title: GOOD Music

text: In late 2011, plans were announced for a release of a compilation album, later entitled "Cruel Summer". The album's lead single "Mercy", was released on April 6, 2012, and features verses from Kanye West, Pusha T and Big Sean, as well as GOOD Music affiliate 2 Chainz. The album was also preceded by the singles "New God Flow" and "Clique", the latter of which peaked at number 12 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. It features West and Big Sean rapping alongside Jay-Z. "Cruel Summer" was released on September 18, 2012. It was accompanied by the eponymous short film "Cruel Summer", which was shot in Qatar; the film premiered at Cannes Film Festival.