RCH 155 Wheeled Howitzer Specs, Range, Variants and Operators

The RCH 155 is the first self-propelled howitzer designed to fire on the move, pairing a fully automated 155mm gun module with the Boxer 8×8 chassis and a crew of just two. Built by KNDS in Germany, it was ordered first by Ukraine, which signed for 54 systems, and it is the gun Berlin has picked to shape the next generation of German artillery.

What is the RCH 155

RCH 155 stands for Remote Controlled Howitzer 155mm. KNDS took the automated Artillery Gun Module it derived from the PzH 2000, an unmanned turret that loads, lays and fires by itself, and mounted it on the Boxer armored vehicle that Germany and its partners build through the ARTEC joint venture with Rheinmetall. The result weighs around 39 tonnes, drives at up to 100 km/h on roads, and needs only a driver and a commander, both seated in the protected hull rather than in the turret.

The concept answers the central artillery lesson of Ukraine, that guns which stay still die. Counter-battery radars and drones find firing positions within minutes, so the premium has shifted to automation, low crewing and the shortest possible time between stopping, shooting and moving again.

RCH 155 specifications

RCH 155 range and firepower

The L52 barrel is the same length class that gives the PzH 2000 and K9 Thunder their reach, roughly 40 kilometers with base-bleed shells and beyond 50 with velocity-enhanced rounds, the latter a manufacturer figure that combat use has yet to publicly confirm. The automated magazine holds 30 projectiles, and the fire-control system supports MRSI missions in which several shells fired at different arcs arrive together.

Just as important is what the automation removes. There are no loaders to tire, and the two crew members never leave armor during a fire mission, which matters on a battlefield where artillery crews have become primary targets for drones, as European armies buying wheeled howitzers across the region have concluded.

Can the RCH 155 really fire on the move

KNDS states the RCH 155 is the first howitzer able to shoot while driving, with the gun module compensating for hull motion. The company has demonstrated the mode in trials; how useful it proves under operational conditions, and at what accuracy cost, remains a manufacturer claim until operators report otherwise. Even skeptics concede the underlying point, though, a gun that can fire within seconds of halting and be moving again before its shells land is extraordinarily hard to hit with counter-battery fire.

Who operates the RCH 155

Ukraine’s 54-gun order made it the launch customer before the German Army itself, an unusual sequence that compressed years of trials into a wartime schedule. Early Ukrainian employment reports are limited; any claimed combat results should be treated as operator-reported until more is public. Germany’s selection of the system to renew its wheeled artillery, alongside the tracked PzH 2000, is the program’s commercial anchor, and the Boxer’s spread across NATO armies gives the RCH 155 a ready-made export path.

RCH 155 frequently asked questions

What does RCH 155 stand for?

Remote Controlled Howitzer 155mm, reflecting its fully automated, unmanned gun turret operated from the vehicle hull.

What is the range of the RCH 155?

Roughly 40 kilometers with base-bleed ammunition and up to about 54 kilometers with V-LAP rounds, according to manufacturer figures.

How many crew does the RCH 155 need?

Two, a driver and a commander. Loading, laying and firing are automated inside the unmanned Artillery Gun Module.

Does Ukraine use the RCH 155?

Ukraine is the launch customer with 54 ordered, funded by Germany, and began receiving the first systems in 2025 per public reporting.

Is the RCH 155 better than the PzH 2000?

They complement each other. The tracked PzH 2000 carries more protection for high-intensity fronts, while the wheeled RCH 155 trades armor for speed, low crewing and rapid shoot-and-scoot.