The only howitzer in the world that hits the enemy while moving: how the RCH 155 self-propelled guns will help on the battlefield

On January 13, 2025, a solemn ceremony was held in the city of Kassel to hand over the first self-propelled artillery mount (SAU) RCH 155 to Ukraine by Germany. It became the first part of a batch of 54 howitzers. 24 Channel tells about the uniqueness of the RCH 155 and how it will help Ukraine on the battlefield.

What is known about the RCH 155 SAU and how many and when Ukraine will receive them

The ceremony in Kassel was held with the participation of the Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany Oleksiy Makeyev and the Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius. The very next day, the head of the Bundeswehr arrived in Kyiv and had the opportunity to personally tell President Zelensky about the new weapon.

Ambassador Oleksiy Makeyev symbolically receives the first RCH 155 self-propelled guns from the German government:

For me today is a special day.
Denn heute übergab Minister Boris Pistorius an die Ukraine die erste von 54 Radhaubitzen RCH 155.
Unser Bedarf ist akuter denn je.

So gehen Verbündete meindar um: Sie schließen Sicherheitslücken — Lücken, die blutende Wunden sind. pic.twitter.com/5KzrnZHQwv

— Oleksii MAKEIEV (@Makeiev) January 13, 2025

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In the near future, Ukraine will receive a battery of six RCH 155 (Remote Controlled Howitzer 155, i.e. a remotely controlled 155 caliber howitzer), they will remain in Germany and on Ukrainian artillerymen will begin training with them.

Deliveries directly to Ukraine will begin in April 2025 and should be completed in the next 24 months. Our state will receive the RCH 155 straight from the assembly line and will become the first country to operate this weapon. The Bundeswehr and the Swiss Armed Forces are planning to join the elite club of RCH 155 operators. The latter have abandoned the classics for the sake of the RCH 155 – Archer self-propelled guns from BAE Systems Bofors.

What can the RCH 155 do: watch the video

• ​​Ukraine requested the provision of the RCH 155 to Germany in July 2022, and six months later the Germans finally agreed on all the details and announced the provision of the RCH 155 to Ukraine batch of 18 machines.
• Later, the deal increased 3 times. Production started in January 2023 and was supposed to last 30 months, but the allies accomplished a feat and prepared the first batch ahead of schedule (cooperation with the UK played a big role in this).

The supply of howitzers will be carried out at the expense of German military aid. Let us recall that Germany is the second largest donor of aid to Ukraine after the United States, and the fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are being provided with such modern weapons indicates a new level of cooperation. In fact, the war against Russia will become a testing ground for the RCH 155.

The RCH 155, which we presented yesterday in Kassel, is truly a masterpiece of engineering. And they are truly very special. And we have already ordered 54 for Ukraine. And I hope they arrive as soon as possible, because this is indeed a very effective and very mobile weapon that will probably help you a lot in your fight, which is not over yet,
– Boris Pistorius presents a major project to provide Ukraine with RCH 155 in Kyiv on January 14, 2025.

What else did Germany provide to Ukraine

Germany provided Ukraine with a new package of military aid, which included ammunition, strike and reconnaissance drones, as well as armored vehicles.

The support package included:

• 20 vehicles with protection against mines and ambushes;
• ammunition for Leopard 1 tanks;
• 14 thousand 155 mm shells;
• 19 thousand 122 mm shells;
• 600 HF-1 strike drones;
• 50 Vector reconnaissance drones with spare parts;
• 46 RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones;
• 43 Songbird reconnaissance drones;
• 495 HK 416 assault rifles;
• 11 thousand 120 mm mortars ammunition.
• Germany also transferred a new batch of binoculars, woolen blankets and turnstiles to Ukraine.

In addition, the German government reported on the weapons that are being prepared for transfer. These include the Marder infantry fighting vehicles, the RCT-30 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, and vehicles with protection against mines and ambushes.

RCH 155 (Remote Controlled Howitzer 155) – main characteristics

• manufacturer – Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), Germany;
• type – self-propelled artillery mount;
• caliber – 155 millimeters;
• cannon – Rheinmetall 155 mm L52 (JBMoU-compatible);
• cannon barrel length – 8 meters;
• firing range – up to 40 kilometers (basic ammunition), up to 54 kilometers (for extended-range shells: Vulcano, M982 Excalibur and similar);
• rate of fire – up to 9 shots per minute;
• deployment time at the firing position – 20 seconds;
• ammunition – 30 shells and 144 modular projectile charges;
• autonomy of work – fully automated charging system;
• crew: 2 people (commander and driver);
• weight – 39 tons;
• dimensions – 10.4×2.99×3.6 meters;
• chassis – GTK Boxer 4-axle armored personnel carrier (or Iveco 8×8);
• engine – turbocharged diesel MTU 199TE20;
• power – 815 horsepower;
• maximum speed – 100 km/h (on the highway);
• power reserve – 700 kilometers;
• ground clearance – 0.5 meters;
• turning radius – 21 meters;
• ability to overcome obstacles — trenches 2 meters wide, ford 1.2 meters deep;
• approximate price – 12 million euros per unit.

What are the German RCH 155 self-propelled guns capable of

The self-propelled gun is equipped with a fire control system and can operate in MRSI (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact) mode, that is, it can fire up to 5 shells at different angles so that they simultaneously reach the target.

RCH 155 testing: watch the video

The RCH 155 is designed for high-precision artillery support on the battlefield. Its mobility and autonomy allow it to act effectively even in the conditions of a modern high-tech conflict, which is undeniably the war of Russia against Ukraine. ;nbsp;RCH 155 is the only howitzer in the world that can fire at the enemy simply while moving. All this makes the RCH 155 the most modern wheeled howitzer in the world and gives it significant advantages in counter-battery combat.

The car is also well protected – has armored sides (14.5 millimeters) and bottom, which makes it quite survivable in modern warfare, where everything is mined and there is a constant threat of drones and dangerous pieces of iron. In addition, the ACS can be additionally armed with a remotely controlled machine gun installation and a smoke grenade firing system.

The ACS crew consists of a driver and a commander. The RCH 155 can be controlled remotely, as the name of the self-propelled gun suggests. The automated turret artillery module AGM (Artillerie-Geschütz-Modul) is responsible for this.

This module is uninhabited and all processes, including charging, are automated in it. There is also the possibility of loading and shooting in manual mode so that, as they say, the hands do not forget. But this is an extreme case, and the basic scenario is when the RCH 155 commander receives targeting via radio communication or using a data channel, and then everything is done by the mechanisms.