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AUSA 2025: KNDS Rolls Out Tracked RCH 155 for Agile Artillery Across Challenging Terrain.
KNDS unveiled a tracked configuration of its RCH 155 at AUSA 2025, putting the fully automated 155 mm L52 gun module onto a heavy tracked chassis to improve cross-country mobility and protection.
During AUSA 2025 in Washington, KNDS presented a tracked configuration of the RCH 155 self-propelled artillery system, extending its fully automated 155 mm concept beyond the Boxer 8×8 and into terrain where wheeled platforms struggle. The reveal arrives as armies prioritise tempo, survivability and digital fires under dense counter-battery threats. By combining an unmanned Artillery Gun Module (AGM) with a tracked chassis designed for rough ground, KNDS targets heavy brigades and mixed formations seeking protected, rapid, long-range fires that remain effective off-road. The proposition is timely for NATO and partners adapting to dispersed operations and sensor-to-shooter kill chains.
By putting the RCH 155 on tracks, KNDS is not merely varying a chassis but redefining how far, how fast and how safely a 155 mm battery can operate under threat (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)
At the core is the unmanned, fully automated AGM mated to a NATO-JBMoU-compatible 155 mm/L52 main gun. This configuration offers a unique 360° laying envelope across all elevations and sustains firing with up to six modular charges without the use of support legs, preserving agility and reducing signatures at the firing point. The gun achieves a rate of fire greater than eight rounds per minute, supports true MRSI windows around two seconds, and inductively programs fuzes during the ramming process, compressing the sequence from call-for-fire to first impacts. The onboard magazine accommodates 30 fuzed projectiles and 144 modular charges, with handling and firing of JBMoU-compatible shells up to 1,000 mm in length. Depending on ammunition, the system reaches roughly 40 km with standard base-bleed, up to 54 km with V-LAP and up to 70 km with Vulcano, while remaining prepared for future extended-range projectiles.
The tracked architecture is engineered for sustained cross-country duty with the mass and stability artillery crews expect from a self-propelled howitzer. Combat weight remains below 45 tonnes, while overall dimensions are approximately 10.60 m in length, 3.45 m in width and 3.50 m in height, maintaining transportability and integration headroom for protection and mission kits. An engine in the ~800–900 kW class underpins mobility, delivering about 70 km/h on road and a road range under 500 km, with the real dividend measured off-road: the tracks provide bite and stability in mud, snow and soft soils, enabling firing arcs and displacement speeds that keep batteries survivable against counter-battery radars. Critically, the automated gun-laying system with coincidence control allows loading and firing in any azimuth and elevation, and the “Shoot & Scoot 2.0” suite adds firing on the move, real MRSI and even engagements of moving targets. Optional enhancements include a remote-controlled weapon station or a multi-purpose grenade launcher, and direct-lay capability via optronics or RCWS when required for close-in threats.
This variant follows the operational and industrial logic that produced the AGM family from the PzH 2000 lineage and then fielded it on the Boxer: keep the gun, loading and digital architecture common while diversifying mobility to match theatre demands. The tracked RCH 155 preserves the small, protected crew concept and the high level of automation proven on the wheeled configuration, but adds a terrain-agnostic mobility profile for heavy formations and harsh geographies. That continuity simplifies training and sustainment while allowing users to tailor force packages, wheeled for road-net manoeuvre and rapid theatre moves, tracked for contested ground and assured off-road access, without fragmenting the artillery enterprise.
Against contemporary peers, the value proposition is clear. Compared with truck-mounted systems that rely on stabilisers, the RCH 155’s ability to deliver 360° fires with up to six charges and no support legs shortens time on target and displacement time. Versus legacy tracked SPHs optimised for armour mass over automation, the unmanned AGM and inductive fuze programming reduce crew exposure and accelerate the firing cycle. Range parity or overmatch is maintained through JBMoU-compliant ammunition, with growth paths for extended-range effects. The result is a self-propelled artillery system that preserves heavy-brigade mobility and stability while achieving the tempo traditionally associated with lighter, wheeled guns.
The strategic implications extend beyond a single chassis choice. For NATO and partners, a common, modular artillery family spanning wheeled and tracked formations eases coalition logistics, aligns with digital C2 modernisation, and supports sensor-rich targeting frameworks where seconds determine survivability. Geopolitically, the option to field protected, automated 155 mm fires that can manoeuvre and shoot across forests, hills and water-logged soils strengthens deterrence and operational credibility in Europe’s most challenging terrain. Militarily, the combination of firing on the move, rapid MRSI and fast displacement complicates enemy kill chains and widens the window for counter-battery evasion.
The net effect of these updates is to convert automation into battlefield time and tracks into tactical freedom. By uniting a fully unmanned 155 mm/L52 module with genuine cross-country mobility, the tracked RCH 155 turns survivability, tempo and range into a coherent package that meets the realities of modern counter-battery contests. For planners seeking to harmonise wheeled and tracked fires without multiplying training pipelines or logistics tails, it offers a concrete path to resilient, coalition-ready artillery.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.