KNDS Unveils RCH 155 LORAS Self-Propelled Howitzer, Once Positioned as Replacement for M109A7 in the US Army

KNDS has unveiled a new tracked self-propelled artillery system, the RCH 155 LORAS (Long Range Artillery System).

This was reported by Militarnyi’s correspondent at the Eurosatory international exhibition.

The RCH 155 LORAS combines the firepower of the automated, remotely controlled Artillery Gun Module (AGM), used on the RCH 155 self-propelled howitzer, with the protection and high cross-country mobility of the tracked version of the Boxer platform.

The unmanned AGM turret, equipped with a 155-mm gun with a 52-caliber barrel, provides 360-degree azimuth tracking at any elevation angle.

The tracked chassis has a combat weight of approximately 45 metric tons and can accommodate combat modules weighing up to 17 metric tons. By comparison, the wheeled Boxer platform is designed for modules weighing up to 12 metric tons.

The powerpack consists of an MTU diesel engine paired with a Renk HSWL-256 transmission. The engine delivers up to 900 kW of power, with a maximum highway speed of up to 70 km/h and a range of up to 500 kilometers. The vehicle’s specific power is estimated at 20-25 kW per metric ton.

The system is based on the production-model, fully automated AGM turret equipped with a Rheinmetall L52 155-mm gun, similar to the one installed on the RCH 155 wheeled self-propelled howitzer and the Panzerhaubitze 2000.

The maximum rate of fire exceeds eight rounds per minute. The feeding of shells and modular propellant charges is fully automated.

The fuses are programmed inductively during loading. The ammunition load consists of up to 30 ready-to-fire shells and 144 modular propellant charges.

The vehicle was first demonstrated in October 2025 at the AUSA exhibition as one of the potential candidates to replace the obsolete M109A7 self-propelled howitzers in the US Army.

However, this is not the first attempt to integrate the AGM combat module onto a tracked chassis.

Previously, in parallel with the wheeled version of the RCH 155, a variant of a self-propelled artillery system was developed on a modified chassis of the MARS multiple launch rocket system. However, this version never reached serial production.

In addition, there is the NEMESIS self-propelled artillery system, which uses the same AGM combat module on the chassis of the Spanish ASCOD infantry fighting vehicle. In total, the Spanish Armed Forces plan to procure 128 such artillery systems.