Ukraine will be the first user of the new RCH 155 artillery system. Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius took delivery of the state-of-the-art wheeled howitzer on 13 January at the manufacturer KNDS in Kassel and handed it over directly to the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev.

“The handover of the first RCH 155 wheeled howitzer to Ukraine (-> current news from the war in Ukraine) is visible proof of what is possible when technological excellence and common will come together,” explained Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at the event. “It is a very significant step for Ukraine, for Germany as an industrial location and for the security of us all in Europe.”

Zu Gast beim Aufklärungs- und Artilleriebataillon 4

With the RCH 155 (Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 millimeter) wheeled artillery howitzer, KNDS has combined the tried-and-tested drive module of the Boxer wheeled tank and the weapon system of the Panzerhaubitze 2000 in a fully automatic weapon system that is unique in the world.

KNDS will supply Ukraine with a total of 54 RCH 155 wheeled howitzers, the first six systems this year. The contract for the delivery of 18 RCH 155s was already signed in 2022, with the order for a further 36 RCHs following in 2023. This corresponds to three artillery battalions.

Germany and the UK are also planning a procurement. The heads of government of the two countries announced back in April 2024 that they wanted to jointly purchase, evaluate and optimize the weapon system. The planned 80 systems for Germany are to be funded from the Bundeswehr be financed from the Bundeswehr special fund.

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