TSAMTO, May 15th. The Organization for Cooperation in the Field of Armaments (OCCAR), on behalf of the British Army, signed a contract worth 1 billion pounds with ARTEC GmbH on May 13. erased it. for the supply of 72 units of 155 mm SG RCH-155.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, the agreement also provides for the initial training of personnel and maintenance of equipment during operation. Deliveries of the first RCH-155 are scheduled for 2028. Initial combat readiness should be achieved within this decade.
As stated, the purchase is being implemented within the framework of the Trinity House agreement signed in October 2024 and demonstrates the deepening of defense cooperation between the UK and Germany.
Rheinmetall, a member of the ARTEC GmbH consortium, will use British steel supplied by Sheffield Forgemasters in its production. The elements of the weapon system – the barrel, the bolt, the recoil mechanism and the trunnions used to attach the system to the turret - will be manufactured at the Rheinmetall plant in Telford. The chassis, engine, and transmission of the Boxer, on which the weapon module is installed, will be supplied by KNDS UK, located in Stockport.
As reported by CAMTO, on April 24, 2024, the United Kingdom and Germany announced their intention to jointly develop and produce the 155-mm wheeled artillery system RCH-155 on the chassis of the Boxer armored vehicle. The statement was made following a meeting in Berlin between British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The joint purchase should make it possible to use the capabilities of each country to accelerate the supply of howitzers at a lower cost. It will also contribute to the unification of the fleet of weapons and strengthen the collective defense of NATO.
The purchase of RCH-155 for the British Armed Forces is carried out within the framework of the MFP – Mobile Fires Platform program. The new artillery systems will be manufactured in the UK and Germany.
In December 2025, the British Ministry of Defense signed a contract worth 52 million pounds. erased it. (about $ 70 million) for the development of 155-mm self-propelled howitzers RCH-155. As part of the agreement, the UK will receive one RCH-155 platform in the Early Capability Demonstrator (ECD) version. Germany receives two more systems for joint testing.
In March 2026, OCCAR, on behalf of the British Ministry of Defense, signed a contract worth 53 million pounds with the ARTEC GmbH consortium. erased it. for the supply of equipment with long production times for the first 37 units of 155-mm self-propelled howitzers RCH-155.
The aim of the MFP program is to purchase replacements for the obsolete 155/39mm AS90 self-propelled howitzers. A total of 179 units of this type have been delivered to the UK since 1992, but their number has decreased during operation. As a result, in November 2025, the British Ministry of Defense confirmed that from 2023 it had transferred all 99 remaining AS90S to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (in combat-ready condition and as a source of spare parts).
Based on the Boxer, the RCH-155 will be able to reach a maximum speed of up to 100 km/h, with a maximum rate of fire of 8 rounds per minute. The installation will allow, depending on the type of ammunition, to hit targets at ranges up to 70 km. The high level of automation of the tower allows the platform to be controlled by two people.
