Ukraine will become the first country to operate the new wheeled self-propelled howitzer from the Franco-German manufacturer KNDS. This week, at a ceremony at the KNDS factory in Kassel, Germanythe German Defense Minister, Boris Pistoriusmade a symbolic delivery to the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeievfrom the first RCH 155a weapon whose development began in 2014 and has now been completed. Despite the needs of Ukraine, this first unit will remain in Germany and will be used for training Ukrainian soldiers.
‘Today is a very special day for me. Our needs are more urgent than ever. When we sit at the negotiating table one day, it will be good to have the backing of powerful German weapons and to have Germany on our side‘, Makeiev noted last Monday.
Ukraine plans to receive 54 RCH 155acronym for Remote-Controlled Howitzer or Remotely Controlled Howitzer. They are enough to three artillery battalionsalthough six units will initially remain in Germany for training. The first six systems are expected to be delivered this year.
According to Army Recognition, the RCH 155 combines two ground systems designed in Germany: the main armament L52 of 155 mm self-propelled howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000 and wheeled infantry fighting vehicle driving module Boxer 8×8.
On the RCH 155, the gun turret, called Artillery Cannon Module (Artillery Gun Module, AGM), is Fully automated and requires no crew. Can shoot up to 9 projectiles per minutewith a range of up to 40 kilometers with standard ammunition and up to 54 kilometers with very long-range artillery projectiles (VLAP). The turret can store 30 fuzed projectiles and 144 modular charges. Additionally, it features automated navigation and fire control, allowing for fully automatic aiming, loading and fusing. This system requires only a crew of two: driver/operator and commander, considerably less than the five crew required for the Panzerhaubitze 2000.
The high-mobility wheeled design allows the RCH 155 move faster on roads than its tracked counterpartthe Panzerhaubitze 2000, making it suitable for operations where speed is essential. You can also shoot on the move thanks to a sophisticated stabilization system that continually adjusts the cannon and vehicle to maintain accuracy.
The RCH 155 can also attack other vehicles using its main cannonwhich has an elevation of -2.5 to +65 degrees, as a direct fire weapon. In this mode, the commander can select targets using an optical system and the cannon automatically adjusts to fire.
However, Tracked Panzerhaubitze 2000 remains superior on rough terrainsomething crucial during the Ukrainian winter. Ukraine has already received 36 used Panzerhaubitze 200025 of them donated by Germany, and will receive 18 more starting in 2027, reaching a total of 54 units.
The first RCH 155 is expected to see combat in Ukraine in April. This deployment will provide a demonstration of its capabilities to the manufacturer and other potential customers. Germany plans to acquire 80 units, while other countries such as Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom have also shown interest..