The UK will replace the AS90s it has supplied to Ukraine with new RCH 155 howitzers

The British Army will upgrade its artillery fleet under a defense contract worth nearly €1.15 billion for the delivery of 72 RCH 155 remote-controlled howitzers. The new systems are intended to replace the AS90 artillery, some of which was previously transferred to Ukraine.

This was reported by Euractiv.

The new-generation artillery systems, developed through a partnership between the German companies Rheinmetall and KNDS, will replace the AS90 howitzers donated to Ukraine in 2023.

Mounted on an armored BOXER chassis, the RCH 155 can fire up to eight rounds per minute at targets up to 70 kilometers away while moving at speeds of up to 100 km/h. Thanks to a high level of automation, the system can be operated by just two soldiers from inside the protected crew compartment.

"The UK responded to the call for help by providing Ukraine with artillery systems at the start of the war. We were aware of the risk—the gap in our combat capability—that this would create," said Lieutenant General Simon Hamilton, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, in a statement.

“The successful conclusion of the RCH 155 contract to meet our requirements for 155mm close-support artillery, in cooperation with Germany, is the first significant milestone in restoring this capability,” he added.

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

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

The agreement, concluded by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), is part of the British-German “Trinity House” agreement aimed at improving defense cooperation and interoperability within NATO.