RCH155 and the British Army: a contract at long last

The British Army has placed a tentative order for long-lead production for the RCH155 howitzer. The contract gets some procurement underway to replenish systems donated to Ukraine.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on March 17, 2026.

Three years after announcing that it would donate its AS90 howitzers to Ukraine, the British Army has ordered its replacement. Valued at £53 million ($63.74 million/€61.21 million), the contract provides for long-lead production of 37 RCH155 howitzers. 

Well, sort of. The DE&S press release from March 13 explains that £30 million is actually for the Rheinmetall Gun Hall in the UK. This new facility, which will re-establish the UK’s ability to produce large calibre gun barrels, was a core element of Rheinmetall’s selection. 

The remaining £7 million will go towards procurement of just the ‘height adjustable mass’. This includes the barrel, breech, muzzle brake, recoil system, and trunnions. The guns will be integrated into Remote Controlled Howitzer (the RCH in RCH155) turrets before integration onto Boxer drive modules.

This contract follows another in December 2025, which will see three systems produced for trials in Germany and the UK. The two countries are collaborating on development of the RCH155, but Germany ordered 84 of the system in December. 

So, it seems that Germany is ahead of the UK in increasing its indirect fires. Nevertheless, it is good to see the UK placing contracts for something after such long delays. Even if this contract appears tentative, and focused on domestic jobs more than capability, it gets the ball rolling.

There is a long way to go before the system is fully qualified and in service. Ideally, that process will include qualification of advanced rounds like BONUS and Excalibur. This would give the Royal Artillery the precision punch it has lacked from its guns. 

Calibre comment: Rebuilding the UK’s defence industry

The UK’s defence industry is being rebuilt after decades of low-level orders led to much of it being shut down. This is especially true of the land domain, where the pride of the UK’s land production has faded and must now be re-established. The loss of large calibre barrel production was keenly felt, and seen as a risk by previous governments. It became a deciding factor of the programme that led to the RCH155 selection as a result.

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• Defence in brief: UK orders artillery barrels for Ukraine 

However, it is worth noting that most of this expansion is being driven by taxpayer funds. The £30 million for the Gun Hall follows a government buyout of Sheffield Forgemasters. The specialist steel producer was in danger of going bankrupt when the British government stepped in, recognising its importance. This is a crucial distinction to make because the orders from the British MoD will be finite. Not only finite, they will likely be quite small, unless for ship building. This means that the UK will have to find ways to sustain its rebuilt defence industry once its own orders are complete. 

The lead image shows an RCH155 in desert colours. Credit: KMW/KNDS Germany.