RCH 155

KNDS's wheeled 155mm self-propelled howitzer — a fully automated, unmanned-turret gun on a Boxer 8×8 chassis, and the only turreted howitzer in the world that can fire accurately while on the move. Ukraine is the launch customer, and its shoot-and-scoot survivability is a direct answer to the transparent, drone-saturated battlefield where static guns die fast.

Overview

The RCH 155 (Remote Controlled Howitzer 155) is a German/European wheeled 155mm self-propelled howitzer from KNDS (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann / KNDS Germany), mounting a fully automated, unmanned turret with a 155mm/L52 gun derived from the PzH 2000 onto the Boxer 8×8 armoured vehicle (built by the ARTEC consortium). Its defining feature is the ability to fire accurately while moving — the only turreted howitzer in the world that can do so — using stabilization technology adapted from main battle tanks. Combined with a fast wheeled chassis and sub-30-second displacement, that makes it a "shoot-and-scoot" gun built explicitly to survive counter-battery radar and the loitering drones that now hunt artillery. Ukraine is its launch customer, and Germany and the UK have placed major orders.

Development

The RCH 155 mates two mature components — the proven 155mm/L52 ordnance of the PzH 2000 and the modular Boxer 8×8 — into an autonomous, remotely operated turret. The UK joined Germany in the system's development in 2024, intending to field it under its Mobile Fires Platform program as a replacement for the ageing AS90, as reported by The Defense Post. Ukraine became the launch customer, taking first access in 2025, and KNDS has been refining the vehicles based on feedback from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, per The Defense Post. At Eurosatory 2026 KNDS unveiled a related tracked variant, the RCH 155 LORAS, with a longer L58 gun aimed at much greater range.

Design & capabilities

The RCH 155 places a KNDS Germany automatic turret with a Rheinmetall 155mm/L52 gun on the Boxer 8×8 chassis; the ~39-tonne vehicle can road-march at about 103 km/h and self-deploy roughly 700 km, per The Defense Post. The gun fires more than eight rounds per minute (KNDS cites up to nine), reaching about 40 km with standard HE base-bleed ammunition, up to roughly 54 km with V-LAP rounds, and as far as ~70 km with VULCANO precision shells. A fully automatic loader handles both projectiles and modular charges, carrying about 30 fuzed rounds and 144 modular charges — roughly 50% more than a typical truck-mounted gun.

The signature capability is firing on the move: an onboard computer continuously tracks the vehicle's position and gun orientation, correcting for movement and permitting a shot only when the barrel is precisely on target, while a 360-degree vision system watches for obstacles in the projectile's path. Because the turret is unmanned and remotely operated, the system needs only a two-person crew, and it can shoot and relocate in under 30 seconds — the "Shoot and Scoot 2.0" concept KNDS markets as the answer to counter-battery fire and drones.

Variants

• RCH 155 (Boxer 8×8): the wheeled, fire-on-the-move howitzer described here.
• RCH 155 LORAS (Long-Range Artillery System): a tracked variant unveiled at Eurosatory 2026 with a longer L58 (58-calibre) gun, pitched for ~60 km base range (KNDS claims up to ~100 km with advanced rounds) and offered as an M109A7 replacement candidate for the US Army, per Militarnyi and Defense News.
• The RCH 155 turret is modular and has been proposed on other chassis.

Combat record / operational use

The RCH 155 is entering combat service with Ukraine, its launch customer, which gained first access in 2025 — the first time a turreted gun able to fire on the move has been fielded operationally, as covered by United24. Detailed front-line results are still emerging, and KNDS's mid-2025 design refinements were driven explicitly by Ukrainian user feedback. Germany and the UK have not yet fielded their orders (deliveries from 2028).

Advantages

• Fire on the move: uniquely among turreted howitzers, it can shoot accurately while driving, then keep moving — defeating counter-battery radar and drone hunters.
• Shoot-and-scoot survivability: relocates in under 30 seconds on a fast (~103 km/h) wheeled chassis.
• High automation, small crew: a two-person crew and a fully automatic loader (~30 rounds + 144 charges ready).
• Range flexibility: ~40 km HE-BB, ~54 km V-LAP, up to ~70 km VULCANO precision.
• Strategic mobility: ~700 km self-deployment on the Boxer chassis, easing road movement between sectors.

Drawbacks / limitations

• Wheeled chassis offers less cross-country mobility and protection than a tracked SPG in heavy terrain.
• Complex automated turret and fire-on-the-move electronics raise cost and maintenance demands versus simpler truck guns (e.g. Caesar).
• A two-person crew has limited capacity for self-maintenance/ammunition handling away from support.
• Most operators (Germany, UK) field from 2028 onward — near-term numbers are small, concentrated in Ukraine.

Counterparts

• Caesar (France) — the leading truck-mounted wheeled 155mm rival; simpler and cheaper, but cannot fire on the move.
• Archer (Sweden) — automated wheeled 155mm with rapid shoot-and-scoot; the closest Western peer in concept.
• PzH 2000 (Germany) — the tracked gun whose L52 ordnance the RCH 155 derives from; K9 Thunder, M109 Paladin, and Ukraine's Bohdana round out the SPG field.

Outlook

The RCH 155 is positioned to become a benchmark for survivable Western artillery: Germany plans 229 systems for about €3.4 billion ($4 billion) with deliveries in 2028–2032, the UK has ordered 72 under its Mobile Fires Platform, and combat feedback from Ukraine is shaping the design now. The trajectory to watch is twofold — whether fire-on-the-move proves as decisive in practice as in theory against drones and counter-battery fire, and how far KNDS pushes range with the longer-barrelled LORAS variant (and a possible US Army opportunity to replace the M109). If Ukraine's experience validates the concept, the RCH 155 could define how NATO armies trade the protection of tracks for the survivability of speed and on-the-move fires.

Key specifications

Sources

1. The Defense Post — Germany Plans $4B Purchase of 200+ RCH 155 Wheeled Howitzers (229 units; L52; 54 km; fire-on-move; 39 t; ~103 km/h; 700 km; deliveries 2028–32; UK Mobile Fires/AS90). https://thedefensepost.com/2025/12/12/germany-rch-155-howitzers/
2. ARTEC Boxer — RCH 155 (9 rpm, 40 km, fire on the move, shoot-and-scoot). https://www.artec-boxer.com/vehicles/artillery/rch-155/
3. KNDS — RCH 155 (engagement on the move; "Shoot and Scoot 2.0"; >8 rpm). https://knds.com/en/products/systems/rch-155-tracked
4. United24 Media — Ukraine gets first access to RCH-155 with fire-on-the-move capability. https://united24media.com/world/ukraine-gets-first-access-to-rch-155-howitzer-with-game-changing-fire-on-the-move-capability-19052
5. The Defense Post — KNDS refines RCH-155 for Ukraine after soldier feedback. https://thedefensepost.com/2025/08/29/knds-rch-155-howitzer-ukraine/
6. New Atlas — British Army orders 72 RCH 155 for Boxer vehicles. https://newatlas.com/military/british-army-howitzer-boxer-armored-vehicle/
7. Defense News — KNDS pitches long-barreled (L58) artillery for 60 km base range (LORAS). https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/06/17/size-matters-knds-pitches-long-barreled-artillery-for-60-kilometer-base-range/
8. Militarnyi — KNDS unveils RCH 155 LORAS (tracked; M109A7-replacement pitch; Eurosatory 2026). https://militarnyi.com/en/news/loras-knds-rch-155-artillery-m109a7-us-army/

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