Rheinmetall Wins UK RCH 155 Weapon System Contract Rheinmetall has secured a major contract to provide weapon systems for the 72 Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 (RCH 155) vehicles ordered by the UK in May. The agreement, valued in the hundreds of millions of euros, includes the delivery of 72 elevating masses, onboard tools, and lifecycle support services. Production will take place at Rheinmetall’s newly established gun manufacturing facility in Telford, UK. The programme also supports local industry through British steel supplied by Sheffield Forgemasters, sustaining around 100 jobs in Telford and nearly 300 across the wider UK defence supply chain. ARTEC, the KNDS-Rheinmetall joint venture, previously secured the £1 billion contract to deliver the RCH 155 systems, with first deliveries expected in 2028. The acquisition forms part of the UK’s Mobile Fires Platform programme to replace aging AS-90 self-propelled howitzers. The RCH 155 combines the Boxer 8×8 armoured vehicle with an automated turret derived from the Panzerhaubitze 2000. Operated by a two-person crew, the system can fire accurately while moving, carry 30 ready rounds and 144 modular charges, and engage targets beyond 70 km at a rate of up to eight rounds per minute.
