Germany delivers first RCH 155 howitzers to Ukraine to strike Russian forces after long delays.

German Aid to Ukraine confirmed on September 5, 2026, the arrival of the first RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers in Ukraine, concluding a procurement process initiated in September 2022. The delivery introduces a two-person operated, fully automated 155 mm/L52 artillery system capable of executing precision strikes while moving at speeds up to 30 km/h on suitable terrain. This deployment provides the Armed Forces of Ukraine with enhanced survivability against counter-battery fire and drone targeting through automated fire-control integration and rapid displacement capabilities.

The RCH 155 integrates a 12.5-tonne unmanned Artillery Gun Module onto a GTK Boxer 8×8 chassis, maintaining a sub-39-tonne combat weight and carrying 30 projectiles with 144 modular propellant charges. Funded by Germany under an €890 million contract for 54 total units across three production batches, the system achieves firing ranges from 30 km with conventional ammunition up to 70 km using Vulcano precision-guided munitions.

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German Aid to Ukraine (GAU) confirmed on September 5, 2026, that the first of 54 promised RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers have finally been delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces following four years of delays. (Picture source: X/Nicholas Drummond)

As confirmed by German Aid to Ukraine on September 5, 2026, the first RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers were finally delivered to Ukraine, 1,449 days after Germany approved the initial 18-gun procurement on September 17, 2022. Ukraine currently has a total of 54 RCH 155s contracted in three batches of 18 units, with a German expenditure reaching €890 million against €216 million for the original batch. The first RCH 155 was formally handed over to Ukraine in Kassel on January 13, 2025, but remained in Germany, leaving 600 days between that ceremony and confirmation in Ukraine. Delivery had successively slipped from Q1 2024 to end-2024, April 2025, and then 2026 as Ukrainian-requested changes and integration with Ukraine's battle management system continued. More than 600 Ukrainians had completed RCH 155-related training modules by March 2026, but the number of guns delivered, their unit assignment, and ammunition allocation remain undisclosed.

The RCH 155 combines the GTK Boxer 8×8 drive module with a 12.5-tonne unmanned Artillery Gun Module (AGM) carrying a NATO-standard 155 mm/L52 cannon derived from the weapon architecture used by the PzH 2000. Combat weight is below 39 tonnes, compared with 57.6 tonnes for the PzH 2000, a reduction of 32.3%. The turret has no crew stations: two personnel remain in the armored Boxer compartment, with one acting as driver and system operator and the second as commander and fire-mission operator. The magazine carries 30 fuzed projectiles and 144 modular propellant charges, equivalent to 4.8 charge modules per projectile if the complete load were distributed evenly, although actual charge use varies with range and trajectory. Projectile loading, charge loading, gun laying, and fuze programming are automated, while inductive fuze setting occurs during the loading cycle rather than requiring manual preparation outside the weapon.

The turret traverses through 360°, elevates from -2.5° to +65°, and fires without hydraulic stabilizing spades, removing a separate emplacement and recovery sequence before and after firing. Range depends directly on ammunition: conventional DM111/DM121 rounds reach 30 km, base-bleed 40 km, V-LAPs 54 km, and Vulcanos 70 km, with longer-range ammunition remaining part of the growth path. A 54 km V-LAP shot therefore extends reach by 24 km, or 80%, over a 30 km conventional projectile; Vulcano adds 40 km, or 133%. The corresponding theoretical circular coverage increases from 2,827 km² at 30 km to 5,027 km² at 40 km, 9,161 km² at 54 km, and 15,394 km² at 70 km. MRSI permits up to five rounds fired on different trajectories to arrive within two seconds, with repeated Ukrainian first-round hits at 40 km reported. KNDS's dedicated ammunition supply system carries more than 60 projectiles and 288 modular charges, enough for two complete AGM reloads.

The fire-control chain combines inertial navigation, satellite-position updates, automated ballistic calculation, electrical gun laying and muzzle-velocity measurement. After receiving target coordinates, the computer calculates azimuth, elevation, charge, fuze setting and firing interval using the NATO Armaments Ballistic Kernel. The muzzle-velocity radar measures each departing projectile, allowing the ballistic solution to account for propellant temperature, ammunition-lot variation and barrel wear. This removes the requirement to survey each firing position before engagement and supports rapid displacement. It also places more functions inside the automated chain: navigation, computing, electrical drives, projectile loading, charge loading and fuze programming must remain functional for a two-person crew to exploit the system's firing rate.

The 815 hp MTU engine gives the sub-39-tonne vehicle 21 hp/t, a road speed above 100 km/h and road range above 700 km. It can negotiate a 60% gradient, 30% side slope, 2 m trench and 1.2 m ford. The RCH 155 can also fire while moving on suitable terrain at speeds up to 30 km/h, a major difference from guns that must stop and deploy stabilizers before firing. At 30 km/h it moves 8.33 m/s, 250 m in 30 seconds and 500 m per minute, so successive rounds can originate from different coordinates rather than a fixed firing point. The operational question in Ukraine is whether moving fire retains useful dispersion at 20, 30 and 40 km, because no CEP or hit-probability figures for this mode have been released.

The 54-gun order requires only 108 personnel inside the howitzers, compared with 270 for a five-person crew of the same fleet size. An 18-gun formation requires 36 onboard operators and a six-gun battery 12, but these figures exclude ammunition, maintenance, recovery, command, communications and reconnaissance personnel. The more than 600 Ukrainians trained by March 2026 equal 5.56 times the 108 positions required to crew all 54 guns once, reflecting training beyond a single set of vehicle crews. Automation therefore reduces manpower at the gun without eliminating manpower behind it, particularly when 18 guns can consume 162 projectiles in one nine-round mission and 486 in three. The Ukrainian test will show whether the two-person concept reduces total artillery-unit manpower or shifts personnel toward ammunition handling and maintenance.

The procurement also provides a measurable cost and reliability test. Dividing the original €216 million package by 18 gives €12 million per system, while €890 million divided by 54 gives €16.48 million, although both are program averages rather than bare vehicle prices. Ukraine can now generate the figures needed for a meaningful comparison with PzH 2000, CAESAR and Archer: operational availability percentage, rounds between autoloader failures, maintenance hours per 100 rounds, complete 30-round reload time, rounds fired per gun per day, barrel wear by charge, time from target receipt to first round, time from final round to displacement, moving-fire CEP and losses per 1,000 missions. Without those figures, the confirmed facts are narrower: the RCH 155 gives Ukraine a two-person, sub-39-tonne 155 mm/L52 gun carrying 30 rounds, firing more than eight rounds per minute, reaching 54 km with V-LAP and 70 km with Vulcano, traveling more than 700 km by road and capable of firing while moving at up to 30 km/h under suitable conditions.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.