Rheinmetall Wins Contract to Supply Weapon Systems for UK’s RCH 155 Howitzers
Rheinmetall has been awarded a contract to provide the weapon systems for the 72 Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 (RCH 155) vehicles ordered by the UK in May.
Valued in the hundreds of millions of euros, the agreement covers the delivery of 72 elevating masses, onboard tools, and related support services. Production will be carried out at Rheinmetall’s newly established gun manufacturing facility in Telford, United Kingdom.
The company previously confirmed that British steel supplied by Sheffield Forgemasters will be used for the program, supporting approximately 100 jobs at the Telford facility and an additional 300 positions across the wider UK supply chain.
Earlier, ARTEC—the joint venture between KNDS and Rheinmetall—secured a contract worth nearly £1 billion (US$1.35 billion) to deliver the RCH 155 systems. Initial deliveries are planned for 2028, with an initial operational capability expected before the end of the decade.
The procurement forms part of the British Army’s Mobile Fires Platform program, which aims to replace its aging AS-90 155mm self-propelled howitzers. Following the donation of 32 AS-90 systems to Ukraine in 2023, the UK addressed part of the resulting capability gap by acquiring 14 Archer wheeled artillery systems.
RCH 155 Howitzer
The RCH 155 integrates the Boxer 8×8 armored vehicle with a fully automated, unmanned turret derived from the combat-proven Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery system.
Designed for operation by a two-person crew from within a protected cabin, the 39-ton platform can travel at speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph), enabling rapid repositioning and improved survivability against enemy counterbattery fire.
According to Rheinmetall, the RCH 155 is the world’s only turreted howitzer capable of delivering accurate fire while on the move, leveraging stabilization technology adapted from main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
The turret is equipped with 30 pre-fuzed projectiles and 144 modular propellant charges—around 50% more ammunition than conventional truck-mounted artillery systems—and can deliver up to eight rounds per minute at targets located more than 70 kilometers (42 miles) away.
