The UK government has announced that it will jointly develop the Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155 mm (RCH 155) variant of the Boxer 8×8 multi-role armoured vehicle with Germany to address the British Army’s Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) requirement.
The announcement was made on 23 April 2024 as UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with German Chancellor Olaf Sholz in Berlin to deepen UK-German defence and security co-operation.
“The UK and Germany are European powerhouses. Together, we are stronger – whether that is defending against Russian aggression or driving economic growth and technological advance,” said Sunak. “Today we are opening a new chapter in our relationship: one that will make us safer and more prosperous. At this dangerous moment for the world, the UK and Germany are standing side by side to preserve security and prosperity at home and across our continent.”
The RCH 155 combines the modular Boxer 8×8 chassis produced by the ARTEC consortium with an Artillery Gun Module developed by Germany’s Krauss-Meffei Wegmann (KMW, now KNDS) and based on the German Army’s tracked 155 mm PzH 2000 SPH. This system, based around a Rheinmetall 155 mm L/52 gun, can fire up to nine rounds per minute out to a range of 40 km using standard ammunition and up to 54 km using extended-range munitions. It also has a fire-on-the-move capability, can deliver multiple rounds onto a target simultaneously and additionally has a direct-fire capability for close-range engagements.
The MFP programme is intended to replace the British Army’s fleet of AS90 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzers (SPHs), which entered service in 1992.
In March 2023 the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) agreed to purchase 14 BAE Systems Bofors Archer 155 mm wheeled SPHs from Sweden as an interim MFP capability, with the first of these delivered in October 2023. This followed the UK MoD donating 32 in-service AS90s to Ukraine.
The British Army originally had a fleet of 179 AS90s although, following the donation of 32 systems to Ukraine, only 57 AS90s were officially listed by the MoD as being in service as of October 2023.
A 24 April press release by the British Army stated that the RCH 155 systems are intended to enter service this decade.
Lieutenant General Dame Sharon Nesmith, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, was quoted as saying, “I am very proud that we have the opportunity to collaborate with Germany to develop RCH 155 as the British Army’s Mobile Fires Platform. It not only presents an invaluable opportunity to work alongside our vital ally Germany, but also demonstrates our clear commitment to and leadership role within NATO.
“RCH 155 will provide a world-class 155 mm self-propelled artillery gun system to the Royal Artillery – an excellent strategic fit with the British Army of the future.”
Other contenders for the MFP requirement included the KNDS PzH 2000 and Hanwha Defense K9A1/2 Thunder tracked SPHs and wheeled solutions that included the Nexter Caesar system, Elbit’s ATMOS 2000 and the Rheinmetall 155 mm howitzer based on HX3 10×10 truck chassis.
