Engineering:RCH 155

Short description: German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer

RCH 155
RCH 155 in the field
Type	Self-propelled artillery
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
Used by	See operators below
Production history
Designer	Krauss-Maffei Wegmann
Designed	2014
Manufacturer	Krauss-Maffei Wegmann
Unit cost	€12 million for the first order
Produced	Since 2022
Specifications
Mass	<39.0 t
Length	10.40 m (34 ft 1 in)
Width	2.99 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height	3.60 m (10 ft)
Crew	2 (commander and driver)
Calibre	155 mm caliber L/52
Elevation	-2.5° to + 65°
Traverse	360° (with up to 6 modular charges)
Rate of fire	Up to 9 rounds per minute
Effective firing range	40 km base bleed round 54 km V-LAP (Velocity-enhanced Long-range Artillery Projectile)
Main armament	Rheinmetall artillery gun
Secondary armament	Optional remote-controlled weapon station
Engine	MTU 8V199 TE21 Up to 816 hp (600 kW)
Power/weight	20.9 hp/t (20 kW/t) at maximum weight
Payload capacity	30 fused rounds
Suspension	Double-wishbone coil springs and shock absorber
Operational range	700 km (400 mi) (road)
Speed	103 km/h (60 mph) (road)

The RCH 155 (Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 mm) is a wheeled, self-propelled artillery gun firing 155 mm calibre that was developed and is produced by German defence company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).

The RCH 155 was developed from Panzerhaubitze 2000 and the artillery system Donar. It is built on the GTK Boxer chassis, on which the crewless so-called artillery gun module (AGM) is placed. The AGM has the same 155 mm/L52 gun as the Panzerhaubitze 2000. It can also be mounted on trucks, for example the Iveco Trakker 8×8 type.

Description

The RCH 155 features a crew of two, commander and driver. They are protected against fire from heavy machine guns up to 14.5 mm and artillery fragments. In addition, protection exists against tank- and anti-personnel mines.

The system is equipped with an (optional) secondary weapon station, a smoke grenade launcher and an NBC protection and ventilation system.

The combat load is 30 projectiles with fuze and 144 modular propellants. The fuze programming is inductive during the loading process. The cadence is 9 rounds per minute.

The RCH 155 is capable of firing basically all 155 mm projectiles compatible with the Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding (JBMOU) of NATO.

The range is up to 40 kilometres for base-bleedvs, up to 54 kilometres for Extended-Range Full-Bore shells (V-LAP shells) and beyond for Vulcano_(munizione) and M982 Excalibur.

The Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impacts (MRSI) mode of operation is possible. In this mode, the trajectories and times of the projectiles are modified by elevation of the barrel and number of propellant charges in such a way that several shots fired in succession hit the target almost simultaneously in order to achieve the greatest possible effect before the enemy can take evasive action.

The gun turret's aiming range is 360 degrees (maximum to the 6th propellant charge module) and the barrel elevation is -2.5 to + 65 degrees. The ground clearance is 0.5 metres, the turning radius is 21 metres, the maximum climb is 0.7 metres, the ditch crossing ability is 2.0 metres, the maximum fording depth is 1.2 metres, the maximum gradeability is 60 percent and the highest cross slope is 30 percent. RCH 155 is powered by a diesel engine of the type 8V 199TE20/21 made by MTU Friedrichshafen. The on-board voltage is 24 volts at a maximum of 540 amps.

Special features

The RCH 155 is the world's first howitzer that can fire on the move. This is mainly to avoid enemy counter-artillery fire, as modern Counter-battery radars such as COBRA can be used to reconnoitre fire positions after firing in near real-time.

In addition, RCH 155 has the so-called hunter-killer capability, which otherwise only main battle tank and infantry fighting vehicle are capable of. The fire order and the search for the next target can be carried out in parallel. This capability of the RCH 155 is for self-defence, not the actual artillery mission.

RCH 155 is highly automated and designed to later drive and shoot remotely and without requiring a crew.

Operators

Future operators

Ukrainian Ground Forces (18)

On 17 September 2022 it was announced that Ukraine will purchase 18 Boxer RCH-155 for €216m, funded from German aid. As of November 2023 information, the delivery of the RCH-155 would be possible only at earliest from the end of 2024.

Potential operators

German Army (up to 168)

As part of the program "Zukünftiges System Indirektes Feuer mittlere Reichweite" (ZukSysIndF mRw), the German army is looking for a wheeled artillery system with a calibre 155mm L/52. The deliveries are expected to take place from 2026 to 2031.

The 2 competitors are the RCH-155 and the Artillery Truck Interface by Rheinmetall. But according to some rumours in October 2023, the RCH-155 was mentioned as the winner of the competition as the option from Rheinmetall is in development and is not yet mature.

The objective is for 168 systems, though, 120 are more likely, but even that number might be short as the budget mentioned is only €1.3 to €1.4 billion.

Template:Country data CH Swiss Army

The Swiss Army is selecting a successor to the M109 KAWEST WE as part of the "Artillerie Wirkplattform und Wirkmittel 2026" program. Trials are taking place in 2023-24, and the winner between the RCH-155 and the BAE Bofors Archer will be announced in 2025.

The RCH-155 is offered on 2 platforms, the Boxer A3 and the Mowag Piranha IV 10×10, and the Archer is based on the Rheinmetall HX2 8×8.

External links

• "RCH 155 - One of the world's most advanced barrel artillery systems". https://www.kmweg.de/systeme-produkte/radfahrzeuge/artillerie/rch-155/.