The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) might be yet to publish its Defence Investment Plan, but announced on 13 May 2026 that it is proceeding with a plan to recapitalise the British Army’s heavy artillery with a GBP 1 billion (EUR 1.15 billion) order for 72 Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 mm (RCH 155) systems.

The contract, which includes initial training and in-service support, was awarded by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) on behalf of the British Army to ARTEC GmbH: the joint venture between KNDS and Rheinmetall.

The contract fulfils the British Army’s 155 mm Close Support Artillery requirement, which emerged after the army’s obsolescent fleet of 68 AS90 tracked self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) were gifted to Ukraine in 2023, with 14 BAE Systems Bofors 155 mm Archer 6×6 wheeled SPHs being acquired as an interim replacement for these from October 2023.

According to the UK MoD, the first deliveries of RCH 155 systems to the British Army “are expected in 2028 to achieve a minimum deployable capability within this decade”.

The RCH 155 SPH consists of a Boxer 8×8 drive module typically manufactured by ARTEC, onto which is installed the remote-controlled Artillery Gun Module (AGM) developed and manufactured by KNDS Deutschland. However, Boxer vehicles being built for the British Army’s Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) programme are manufactured by KNDS UK in Stockport and Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) in Telford; the UK MoD has confirmed that British RCH 155s will have their drive modules built by KNDS UK in Stockport, while their weapon systems – the barrel, breech, recoil system and trunnions – will be made by RBSL in Telford, which the ministry says will support at least 500 UK jobs.

While offering chassis commonality with the British Army’s MIV fleet, the RCH 155 SPH will provide the army with a significant advancement in its tube artillery capabilities. The system’s remotely operated 155 mm/L52 main gun has a rate of fire of up to eight rounds per minute and can achieve ranges of up to 40 km with base-bleed ammunition or potentially ranges exceeding 70 km with rounds such as the Rheinmetall Denel Munition Extended Range-Velocity Enhanced Artillery Projectile (ER-VLAP). The system’s ability to fire while on the move crucially helps shield it from counter-battery fire.

The RCH 155 has a fully automated loading system for its projectiles and their modular charges and a fully automatic electrical gun-laying system, with optional capabilities for direct laying via optronics. The gun can fire through a full 360° at all elevation angles without requiring support.

With a combat weight of 40 tonnes, the RCH 155 can achieve road speeds of 100 km/h and has a road range of greater than 700 km. Due to its network-based system architecture, the RCH 155 will also be capable of future fully autonomous driving and firing.

The UK’s acquisition of RCH 155 SPHs is part of a joint procurement with Germany that builds on the two countries’ bilateral Trinity House Agreement signed in October 2024.

“This commitment to improve and enhance bilateral defence co-operation between both nations will exploit the combined capabilities of each nation’s test and evaluation centres, to enable faster delivery at less cost,” the MoD stated. “It will deepen interoperability between Allied forces and directly strengthen NATO’s collective defence on the eastern flank.”

The UK and Germany signed a GBP 52 million RCH 155 Early Capability Demonstrator (ECD) contract with ARTEC in December 2025, under which the RCH 155 is being qualified for use by both nations. A GBP 53 million long lead item procurement contract was also signed earlier in 2026, facilitating the establishment of Rheinmetall’s large-calibre gun manufacturing facility in Telford.

In a 13 May press release the UK MoD quoted Lieutenant General Simon Hamilton, the British Army’s Deputy Chief of the General Staff, as stating, “Britain answered the call for aid by providing artillery systems to Ukraine at the outbreak of the war. We knew the risk – the gap in our warfighting capability – that this would present. The success of bringing the RCH 155 onto contract to develop our 155 mm Close Support Artillery requirement, in collaboration with Germany, marks the first significant milestone in replenishing this capability. We are grateful to the National Armaments Director, our industry partners and our own programme teams for the fantastic work which they have done to bring this to fruition and look forward to our continued work with our German allies.”