British Gunners Begin Training on RCH 155 Self-Propelled Howitzers

British artillery personnel have received the first wheeled RCH 155 self-propelled howitzer for training future crews.

Photos of the first system being received were published on the official page of the 19th Regiment Royal Artillery.

The training will help the regiment’s personnel understand the howitzer’s operation and design ahead of its future deployment.

According to the press service, the Scottish unit’s gunners were the first in the Royal Artillery to gain hands-on experience with the new RCH 155 armored self-propelled artillery system.

However, the British Army is officially preparing to receive its first RCH 155 artillery demonstrator in 2028.

However, the program’s acceleration likely allowed the Army to receive it earlier. The 19th Regiment currently has three batteries of Swedish Archer wheeled self-propelled howitzers, which it received as a temporary replacement for the AS-90 artillery systems transferred to Ukraine.

As of now, the UK Ministry of Defence has placed an order for 72 new RCH 155 wheeled self-propelled howitzers. This number is not final.

The contract will also allow British industry to play an important role in producing these systems. For the British Army, a local RBSL facility in Telford will manufacture the hulls.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Forgemasters will supply the special steel used to manufacture the artillery barrels. The blanks will then be transported to Gun Hall in Telford, where the finished barrels will be manufactured.

The new facility, known as Gun Hall, is expected to begin producing artillery and tank barrels by 2027, restoring the UK’s capability to manufacture large-caliber barrels lost in 2016.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had received their first RCH 155 wheeled self-propelled howitzer.

RCH 155

The RCH 155 is built on the chassis of the GTK Boxer 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carrier. The system features the automated Artillery Gun Module (AGM), equipped with the artillery system from the German PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer.

The AGM is unmanned, so the RCH 155 crew consists of just two personnel. The AGM carries 30 rounds. The vehicle has a combat weight of 39 tonnes, while the AGM weighs 12.5 tonnes.

An MTU diesel engine rated at 815 hp powers the vehicle. The manufacturer states the system has a range of 40 km, extending to 52 km with V-LAP projectiles. The self-propelled howitzer can also fire long-range VULCANO and EXCALIBUR shells.