The British Army is set to receive a major upgrade to its artillery capabilities under a nearly €1.15 billion (£1 billion) defence contract for 72 Remote Controlled Howitzers (RCH 155).

The next-generation artillery systems, developed through a partnership between Germany’s Rheinmetall and KNDS, will replace the AS90 guns donated to Ukraine in 2023.

Mounted on a BOXER armoured chassis, the RCH 155 can fire up to eight rounds per minute at targets as far as 70 kilometres away while travelling at speeds of up to 100 km/h. Advanced automation means the system can be operated by just two soldiers from inside the protected crew compartment.

“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,” Lt Gen Simon Hamilton, deputy chief of the General Staff, said in a statement.

“The success of bringing the RCH 155 onto contract to develop our 155mm Close Support Artillery requirement, in collaboration with Germany, marks the first significant milestone in replenishing this capability,” he added.

Rheinmetall will manufacture key weapon components at its facility in Telford, in central England, while KNDS UK will build the BOXER drive modules in the northern English city of Stockport.

The first RCH 155 vehicles are expected to be delivered in 2028.

The deal, awarded by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), forms part of the UK-Germany Trinity House Agreement aimed at improving defence cooperation and NATO interoperability.

(aw)