UK Begins Production of 37 RCH 155 Self-Propelled Howitzers for British Army.

The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that OCCAR awarded a £53 million contract to ARTEC GmbH to begin long lead production of 37 weapon systems for the RCH 155 artillery platform. The move supports the British Army’s effort to replace AS90 self-propelled howitzers donated to Ukraine while expanding UK involvement in next-generation land combat systems.

The UK Ministry of Defence announced on 13 March 2026 that the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) has awarded a £53 million contract to ARTEC GmbH to initiate long lead production of 37 weapon systems for the Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 (RCH 155) destined for the British Army. The contract represents an early production phase for the new wheeled artillery system that will replace AS90 self-propelled howitzers transferred by the United Kingdom to Ukraine in 2023. According to the MoD, the effort forms part of a broader modernization plan aimed at restoring artillery capacity while integrating advanced automated fire systems and strengthening British participation in European defense industrial programs.
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The RCH 155, or Remote Controlled Howitzer 155, represents the British Army’s future Mobile Fires Platform (MFP), designed to deliver highly mobile long-range artillery support for expeditionary and NATO operations. Developed by KNDS, the system combines the Boxer Drive Module armored chassis with the Artillery Gun Module (AGM), an automated turret integrating the gun, ammunition handling systems, and digital fire-control architecture. This modular configuration allows the artillery turret to be mounted on different platforms, although the Boxer configuration was selected for British service due to its mobility, protection, and logistical commonality with other UK armored vehicles entering service.

The newly announced contract focuses on the production of what engineers refer to as the “height adjustable mass,” the core mechanical elements of the weapon system mounted within the turret. This assembly includes the 155 mm barrel, muzzle brake, breech mechanism, recoil system, and trunnions that anchor the gun to the turret structure. These components form the heart of the artillery piece and determine both its firing performance and durability during repeated high-pressure firing cycles. Manufacturing them requires advanced metallurgy, precision machining, and specialized heat-treatment processes capable of sustaining thousands of firing rounds under extreme stresses.

A large portion of the contract will directly affect the United Kingdom’s defense industrial base. Of the £53 million total value, approximately £30 million is allocated to Rheinmetall’s large-calibre gun barrel manufacturing facility in Telford, known as the Gun Hall. The investment expands the site’s capacity to produce large artillery barrels domestically, an industrial capability the United Kingdom previously relied on foreign suppliers to maintain. Once operational, the facility is expected to support around 100 highly skilled manufacturing jobs, while additional employment will be distributed across the British defense supply chain involved in metallurgy, precision engineering, and specialized materials.

The RCH 155 itself reflects broader trends shaping modern artillery systems. The vehicle adopts a distinctive layout with the crew compartment positioned at the front of the Boxer hull and the unmanned Artillery Gun Module turret installed at the rear. The system operates with a crew of two consisting of a driver who also functions as the gun operator and a commander. Protection levels correspond to those of the Boxer platform, which integrates AMAP Advanced Modular Armor Protection modules developed by Rheinmetall Protection Systems together with a dedicated mine-protection kit. The armor configuration enables the vehicle to achieve STANAG 4569 Level 4 ballistic protection against 14.5×114 mm armor-piercing rounds at 200 meters, while multi-layer floor structures are designed to resist explosions equivalent to 10 kg of TNT beneath the hull or wheels.

Mobility characteristics further define the operational profile of the howitzer. The RCH 155 is based on the 8×8 Boxer armored vehicle powered by an MTU V8 19TE20/21 diesel engine producing approximately 816 horsepower and coupled with an automatic transmission. This configuration enables the vehicle to reach road speeds of around 100 km/h and provides a cruising range of roughly 700 kilometers. Off-road mobility allows the system to negotiate gradients up to 60 percent, traverse side slopes of 30 percent, cross trenches measuring two meters, and climb vertical obstacles of about 0.8 meters. Combined with a relatively tight turning radius of approximately 7.5 meters, these characteristics allow the artillery platform to reposition quickly across dispersed operational environments.

The contract also follows earlier steps in Anglo-German defense cooperation. In December 2025, the United Kingdom signed a £52 million agreement for three RCH 155 Early Capability Demonstrator vehicles intended for joint testing by British and German forces. These trials aim to validate integration with British command systems, operational doctrine, and logistics structures before full operational deployment. The effort builds on the Trinity House Agreement signed in October 2024 between London and Berlin, which established a framework for deeper bilateral cooperation in defense procurement and industrial development.

The program illustrates how European armies are rethinking long-range fires in light of lessons from the war in Ukraine. Artillery once again occupies a central place in high-intensity land warfare, with emphasis on range, automation, and integration into digital command networks. By combining German engineering with British industrial investment, the RCH 155 program reflects a broader shift toward multinational defense production across NATO’s European members. The emergence of domestic gun barrel manufacturing capacity in the United Kingdom also reduces dependence on external suppliers for a critical component of land combat systems while strengthening alliance resilience in a more contested security environment.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.