Image UK MoD.
The UK has awarded a nearly £1 billion contract for 72 Remote Controlled Howitzers, replacing artillery donated to Ukraine and delivering a significant boost in firepower for the British Army.
Britain will buy 72 RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers under a contract awarded by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) to ARTEC GmbH, a joint venture of KNDS and Rheinmetall. The deal, valued at close to £1 billion and including training and in-service support, marks the UK’s most significant artillery investment in years.
The RCH 155 mounts on a BOXER chassis and can redeploy at up to 100km/h, making it difficult to target. A two-soldier crew operates the fully automated turret from an armoured compartment, with the system capable of firing eight rounds per minute at targets up to 70km away.
Manufacture splits across two UK sites. Rheinmetall will build the weapon systems, including the barrel, breech, recoil system and trunnions, at its large-calibre production facility in Telford, creating 100 new skilled jobs. KNDS UK will produce the BOXER drive module in Stockport, sustaining 100 existing jobs, with a further 300 positions supported across the wider UK supply chain.
Rheinmetall plans to source steel from Sheffield Forgemasters, the government-backed specialist steelmaker that employs 720 people and received over £420 million in public investment last year. The arrangement supports the UK Steel Strategy, which classes steel as critical to national resilience.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “This major investment is defence delivering for the battlefield and for Britain’s economy. By securing next-generation artillery with Germany, not only are we rearming to strengthen NATO against growing Russian aggression but also creating highly skilled jobs here in Britain.”
The procurement fulfils a commitment made in the Trinity House Agreement, signed by Britain and Germany in October 2024. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the RCH 155 would significantly enhance the artillery’s firepower, safety and flexibility, calling it a tangible demonstration of NATO interoperability.
The contract replaces AS90 artillery systems the UK provided to Ukraine in 2023. The Archer system has served as an interim capability since then and will continue until the first RCH 155 deliveries arrive in 2028. This latest award follows a £52 million Early Capability Demonstrator contract signed in December 2025 and a £53 million Long Lead Item contract placed earlier this year.
Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lt Gen Simon Hamilton, said the programme marked the first significant milestone in replenishing the capability gap created when Britain donated its artillery to Ukraine at the outbreak of the war.
Read more on the UK MoD Website
