The United Kingdom has awarded a contract worth nearly 1 billion pounds for the procurement of 72 RCH 155 Remote Controlled Howitzers, marking a major step in replacing the aging AS-90 self-propelled artillery fleet. The contract has been awarded to Artec, the joint venture between KNDS and Rheinmetall, and includes training as well as long-term in-service support. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028, with an initial deployable capability expected before the end of the decade. The acquisition forms part of the British Army’s Mobile Fires Platform program intended to modernize artillery capabilities after the AS-90 systems, operational since the early 1990s, began nearing obsolescence. The capability gap widened after London transferred 32 AS-90s to Ukraine in 2023, prompting an interim purchase of Archer wheeled artillery systems. The procurement also reinforces defense cooperation between the UK and Germany under the Trinity House Agreement signed in 2024, enabling both nations to acquire the RCH 155 under a shared framework. Earlier this year, Germany also placed a major order for the system. The program is expected to deliver substantial industrial benefits to the UK, including production work at Rheinmetall’s Telford gun manufacturing facility and the use of British steel from Sheffield Forgemasters. Meanwhile, KNDS UK will manufacture Boxer drive modules in Stockport, supporting hundreds of skilled jobs across the domestic supply chain. Mounted on the Boxer armored vehicle chassis, the RCH 155 combines mobility, automation, and firepower in a highly survivable platform capable of operating with only two crew members. The system is regarded as the world’s only turreted howitzer capable of accurately firing while on the move, using advanced stabilization technology derived from modern armored combat vehicles. Equipped with an automated turret carrying pre-fuzed ammunition and modular charges, the artillery system offers greater ammunition capacity and operational flexibility than conventional truck-mounted systems. The RCH 155 can engage targets at extended ranges while maintaining high mobility and rapid-fire capability, significantly enhancing battlefield responsiveness and survivability against counter-battery threats.
