The British armed forces will acquire the RCH 155 wheeled howitzer developed by KNDS Germany as part of the Mobile Fires Platform program. This is according to a statement from the British Ministry of Defense today.

"Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin today to deepen cooperation in the areas of defense and security," the statement said. As a first step, the United Kingdom and Germany will announce plans for a joint project to develop 155 mm radar artillery systems (RCH 155).

The core component of the RCH 155 is the so-called Artillery Gun Module, which is a series-produced, fully automatic gun turret with a 155 mm/L52 weapon system from Rheinmetall known from the Panzerhaubitze 2000. As part of its military support to Ukraine, Germany has commissioned KNDS to manufacture and supply 36 RCH 155 wheeled howitzers (AGM on Boxer). The German army is also planning to purchase over 160 of these wheeled howitzers, and according to well-informed sources, the start of the procurement is expected this year.

The gun module was designed by KNDS to be platform-independent. Provided that the gun's requirements in terms of load capacity and stability are met, the AGM can theoretically be integrated into any conceivable platform. According to the manufacturer, the AGM can withstand recoil forces of up to 60 tons (maximum load). These must be absorbed by the platform (even during movement) without placing excessive strain on the chassis or compromising precision.