RCH 155

German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
Maximum speed 103 km/h (60 mph) (road)

The RCH 155 (Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 mm) is a wheeled, self-propelled artillery gun firing 155 mm calibre that was developed and is produced by German defence company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).

The RCH 155 was developed from Panzerhaubitze 2000 and the artillery system Donar. It is built on the GTK Boxer chassis, on which the crewless so-called artillery gun module (AGM) is placed. The AGM has the same 155 mm/L52 gun as the Panzerhaubitze 2000. It can also be mounted on trucks, for example the Iveco Trakker 8×8 type.[2]

Description

The RCH 155 features a crew of two, commander and driver. They are protected against fire from heavy machine guns up to 14.5 mm and artillery fragments. In addition, protection exists against tank- and anti-personnel mines.

The system is equipped with an (optional) secondary weapon station, a smoke grenade launcher and an NBC protection and ventilation system.

The combat load is 30 projectiles with fuze and 144 modular propellants. The fuze programming is inductive during the loading process. The cadence is 9 rounds per minute.

The RCH 155 is capable of firing basically all 155 mm projectiles compatible with the Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding (JBMOU) of NATO.

The range is up to 40 kilometres for base-bleeds, up to 54 kilometres for Extended-Range Full-Bore shell [de]s (V-LAP shells) and beyond for Vulcano_(munizione) [it] and M982 Excalibur.

The Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impacts (MRSI) mode of operation is possible. In this mode, the trajectories and times of the projectiles are modified by elevation of the barrel and number of propellant charges in such a way that several shots fired in succession hit the target almost simultaneously in order to achieve the greatest possible effect before the enemy can take evasive action.

The gun turret's aiming range is 360 degrees (maximum to the 6th propellant charge module) and the barrel elevation is -2.5 to + 65 degrees. The ground clearance is 0.5 metres, the turning radius is 21 metres, the maximum climb is 0.7 metres, the ditch crossing ability is 2.0 metres, the maximum fording depth is 1.2 metres, the maximum gradeability is 60 percent and the highest cross slope is 30 percent.[3] RCH 155 is powered by a diesel engine of the type 8V 199TE20/21 made by MTU Friedrichshafen. The on-board voltage is 24 volts at a maximum of 540 amps.[4]

Special features

The RCH 155 is the world's first howitzer that can fire on the move.[5] This is mainly to avoid enemy counter-artillery fire, as modern Counter-battery radars such as COBRA can be used to reconnoitre fire positions after firing in near real-time.

In addition, RCH 155 has the so-called hunter-killer capability, which otherwise only main battle tank and infantry fighting vehicle are capable of. The fire order and the search for the next target can be carried out in parallel. This capability of the RCH 155 is for self-defence, not the actual artillery mission.[6]

RCH 155 is highly automated and designed to later drive and shoot remotely and without requiring a crew.

Operators

Future operators

Ukraine Ukrainian Ground Forces (36)

On 17 September 2022 it was announced that Ukraine will purchase 18 Boxer RCH-155 for €216m, funded from German aid.[7] As of November 2023 information, the delivery of the RCH-155 would be possible only at earliest from the end of 2024.[8] In February 2024, during a Munich Conference for Ukraine support, Germany added 18 additional RCH-155 to the planned support.[9]

Potential operators

United Kingdom British Army

KMW is offering the RCH-155 based on the Archer as a successor to the AS-90 in the Mobile Fires Platform programme of the British Army.[10]
The competition is expected to start in early 2024. Among the competitors, there are: CAESAR (Nexter), the Archer (Babcock, Rheinmetall UK and BAE Bofors), the K9 Thunder (Hanwha Aerospace and Lockheed Martin) and the ATI (Artillery Truck Interface, a module based on a HX3 10x10, made by Rheinmetall) which could eventually use a 155 L/60 calibre.[11]

Germany German Army (up to 168)

As part of the program "Zukünftiges System Indirektes Feuer mittlere Reichweite" (ZukSysIndF mRw), the German army is looking for a wheeled artillery system with a calibre 155mm L/52. The deliveries are expected to take place from 2026 to 2031.[12][13] The 2 competitors are the RCH-155 and the Artillery Truck Interface by Rheinmetall. But according to some rumours in October 2023, the RCH-155 was mentioned as the winner of the competition as the option from Rheinmetall is in development and is not yet mature.[14] The objective is for 168 systems, though, 120 are more likely, but even that number might be short as the budget mentioned is only €1.3 to €1.4 billion.[15]

Switzerland Swiss Army

The Swiss Army is selecting a successor to the M109 KAWEST WE as part of the "Artillerie Wirkplattform und Wirkmittel 2026" program. Trials are taking place in 2023-24, and the winner between the RCH-155 and the BAE Bofors Archer will be announced in 2025.[16] The RCH-155 is offered on 2 platforms, the Boxer A3 and the Mowag Piranha IV 10×10, and the Archer is based on the Rheinmetall HX2 8×8.

References

  1. ^ url=https://www.artec-boxer.com/fileadmin/documents/DB_RCH_155.pdf
  2. ^ "Artillery Gun Module (AGM) on Truck (Wheeled AGM)".
  3. ^ "RCH 155 overview sheet for Eurosatory 2022" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Artillery Competence RCH 155®".
  5. ^ Hoffmann, Lars (20 August 2021). "Radhaubitze RCH 155 - KMW shows firing on the move for the first time".
  6. ^ "Video: KMW equips RCH 155 wheeled howitzer with hunter-killer capability". 26 August 2021.
  7. ^ "RCH 155 SPH For Ukraine". European Security & Defense. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Ukraine will receive the first RCH 155 self-propelled artillery systems later than expected". Militarnyi. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  9. ^ "Military support for Ukraine | Federal Government". Website of the Federal Government | Bundesregierung. 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  10. ^ Chuter, Andrew (2023-12-11). "Babcock, Rheinmetall UK join BAE push for British Army's howitzer". Defense News. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  11. ^ Chuter, Andrew (16 March 2023). "British Army buys 14 Archer howitzers to fill gap left by Ukraine aid". Defense News. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  12. ^ Valpolini, Paolo (2021-05-28). "Future Artillery Conference: Germany details future acquisitions". EDR Magazine. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  13. ^ "Radhaubitze – Deutsches Heer soll RCH 155 von KMW erhalten". soldat-und-technik.de (in German). 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  14. ^ "Radhaubitze – Deutsches Heer soll RCH 155 von KMW erhalten". soldat-und-technik.de (in German). 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  15. ^ "Radhaubitze – Deutsches Heer soll RCH 155 von KMW erhalten". soldat-und-technik.de (in German). 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  16. ^ Editorial, Defense Brief (2022-08-11). "BAE's Archer, KMW's RCH 155 emerge as finalists in Swiss howitzer program". Defense Brief. Retrieved 2023-10-01.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RCH 155.
  • "RCH 155 - One of the world's most advanced barrel artillery systems".