Germany tests new remotely controlled howitzer before sending to Ukraine

The Bundeswehr has begun testing a new self-propelled artillery system, the RCH-155 (Remotely Controlled Howitzer) and Ukraine will be the first country to order them, Ukrainska Pravda reports.

As Welt news agency reports, the 155-mm system is similar to the Panzerhaubitze 2000 but is constructed on a Boxer-wheeled vehicle.  Germany, together with the Netherlands, has supplied 14 units of Panzerhaubitze to Ukraine. The next generation of howitzers for the Bundeswehr is now being procured.

The RCH-155 wheeled howitzer, developed by the arms industry company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), has unique capabilities because it does not need to stop to fire its shells. This has huge advantages, as it makes it difficult to detect and combat.

The RCH-155 is capable of automatically firing nine rounds per minute, which hit targets at a distance of 40 to 50 kilometres or even more, depending on the type of ammunition. The vehicle, which weighs almost 40 tonnes, has eight wheels instead of two tracks like the Panzerhaubitze 2000, and is therefore very mobile on the road and can reach speeds of over 100 km/h.

Back in July 2022, Ukraine asked Berlin to supply the former with modern howitzers. It was only in December 2022 that the German government gave the go-ahead for the sale. This makes Ukraine the first-ever customer of one of Germany's most advanced weapons, and the same happened with Iris T air defence systems. It is in use in Ukraine, but not in service with the Bundeswehr.

It is expected that the RCH-155 will be delivered no earlier than 30 months after the contract is signed, i.e., in 2025. The manufacturer did not start production of the Self-Propelled Howitzers until the government's approval was obtained.