LONDON, May 13 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:

* Procurement of 72 Remote Controlled Howitzers (RCH 155)forthe British Army will deliver a step change in artillery capability. * The UK's £1 billioninvestmentdelivers on the UK-Germany Trinity HouseAgreement, andsupportsat least500Britishjobs, including at Rheinmetall's Telford facility and KNDS Stockport. * Rheinmetall setto use British steelthrough SheffieldForgemasters, strengthening the UK's defence industrial baseand supporting the UK Steel Strategy.

72 Remote Controlled Howitzers (RCH 155)will beprocuredunder a nearly£1 billioncontract, which includes initial training and in-service support, awarded by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) on behalf of the British Army to ARTEC GmbH, a joint venture between KNDS and Rheinmetall.

The weapon systems-the barrel,breech, recoil system and trunnions-willbe manufactured at Rheinmetall's large-calibre production Telfordfacility.Rheinmetallis set touse British steel supplied by SheffieldForgemasters,supporting theUK Steel Strategy whichrecognisessteel isfundamental to the UK's industry and national resilience.

TheBOXER drive module - chassis, engine, drive train - that the weapon system sits on will be manufactured by KNDS UK in Stockport, sustaining critical armoured steel welding in Britain as well as supporting 100 skilled jobs in Stockport. Together, the programme is expected to support the creation of 100 new skilled jobs at Rheinmetall's Telford facility, support 100 jobs at KNDS Stockport and back 300 jobs in the wider UK supply chain.

The programme delivers on the Trinity House Agreementby strengthening UK-German collaborationand deepeninginteroperability between Allied forces.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

This major investment is defence delivering for the battlefield and for Britain's economy. By securing next-generation artillery with Germany, not only are werearming to strengthenNATOagainst growing Russian aggressionbut alsocreatinghighly skilled jobshere in Britain.

This is what we mean when we say defence is an engine for growth - investment in our security that powers new jobs across the country.

German Federal Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, said:

The RCH 155 will significantly enhance the artillery's firepower, safety and flexibility. It is a vital element of modern artillery support. Together with the United Kingdom, we are demonstrating that we take interoperability within NATO seriously and are putting it into practice.

At the same time, we are underlining the close defence cooperation between Germany and the UK. My British counterpart John Healey and I are keeping our word and are implementing the Trinity House Arrangement step by step. Joint exercises and training will bring our armed forces even closer together. This will deepen military cooperation in the long term and improve our operational readiness - for greater security in Europe.

RCH 155 is mounted on a BOXER chassis and can redeploy at speeds of up to 100km/h, making it harder for adversaries to target. Advanced automation of the turret allows the platform to beoperatedat the push of a button from the crew compartment by just two soldiers.

First deliveries of the RCH 155 vehicles are expected in 2028 to achieve a minimal deployable capability within this decade.This contract follows the £52 million Early Capability Demonstrator contract signed in December 2025 and a £53 million Long Lead Item procurement contract earlier this year, facilitating Rheinmetall's large calibre gun manufacturing facility in Telford.

Rheinmetallaims touse British steel supplied by SheffieldForgemasters, which manufactures specialist steel parts used in critical defence programmes and employs 720 skilled staff.Thegovernment invested over £420 million ofadditionalfunding in SheffieldForgemasterslast year,bolstering sovereign steelmaking capability fordefence, including gun barrels and nuclear submarines.

The RCH 155 replaces the AS90 artillery systems granted in kind to Ukraine in 2023. The Archer artillery system currently serves as an interim capability and will continue to do so until the RCH 155 enters service.

The RCH 155 procurement between the UK and Germany builds on the Trinity House Agreement signed in October 2024. This commitment to improve and enhance bilateral defence cooperation between both nations will exploit the combined capabilities of each nation's test and evaluation centres, to enable faster delivery at less cost. It will deepen interoperability between Allied forces and directly strengthen NATO's collective defence on the eastern flank. It also anchors significant industrial benefit in Britain, supportingthe skilled workers who will build andmaintainthem.

The investmentalsosupports the Strategic Defence Review's ambition to make defence an engine for growth and the Army's goal to deliver tenfold greater lethality within the next decade.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lt Gen Simon Hamilton CBE said:

Britain answered the call for aid by providing artillery systems to Ukraine at the outbreak of the war. We knew the risk - the gap in our warfighting capability - that this would present. The success of bringing the RCH 155 onto contract to develop our 155mm Close Support Artillery requirement,in collaboration with Germany, marks the first significant milestone in replenishing this capability. We are grateful to the National Armaments Director, our industrypartnersand our own programme teams for the fantastic work which they have done to bring this to fruitionand look forward to our continued work with our German allies.

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.