Showcasing its range of artillery and armour systems at the Eurosatory defence industry exhibition, Franco-German prime KNDS has revealed key information into the potential number of RCH 155 artillery platforms the British Army will acquire, stating a joint UK-German procurement of up to 400 units.
Detailing the intention to acquire the RCH 155 platform, which was announced at the end of April, senior UK Government officials said in mid-May 2024 that the joint UK-Germany programme was “potentially worth upwards of £3bn” and marked “a step change towards a deeper industrial and wider defence relationship between the UK and Germany”.
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The decision to select the RCH 155 for the British Army’s Mobile Fires Platform programme was something of a surprise, given the relative levels of development between it and the likely competition with the tracked South Korea K9 Thunder or wheeled Swedish Archer self-propelled howitzer (SPH).
In an 18 June 2024 release, KNDS revealed the scope of the joint UK-German RCH 155 programme, while also detailing the number of RCH 155 SPHs that are on order for Ukraine.
“Currently, Ukrainian Army have signed 54 RCH 155 with KNDS. UK and Germany have recently agreed to co-develop the RCH 155 with KNDS with a potential of 400 artillery systems,” the company stated.
Will UK RCH 155 cost more or less than Ukraine’s?
The latest number of 54 units is three times that original order placed by Ukraine in 2022, when it requested the supply of 18 units of RCH 155 in a deal worth approximately €216m ($226.6m) at the time. The systems are expected to be delivered to the armed forces of Ukraine in 2025.
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By GlobalDataBroken down, the Ukrainian order equates to a cost of €12m per unit.
With the joint UK-German programme potentially worth up to £3bn (€3.55bn/$3.8bn) according to the UK Government, a 50/50 split of the 400-unit potential would mean a UK buy of 200 RCH 155 SPH at an average of just under €8.9m each.
Using the €12m metric from the Ukrainian deal, a joint UK-German programme worth up to £3bn would enable 295 RCH 155 system to be acquired, split between the respective militaries.
However, a 400-unit programme potential for the UK and Germany, as stated by KNDS, at a Ukraine unit cost, would come to €4.8bn, or £4.6bn in total.
When will RCH 155 begin to arrive with the British Army?
It is unknown exactly when the RCH 155 will begin to enter service with the British Army, with a broad timeframe committing to provide a “minimum deployable capability… within this decade”, according to the UK Government.
The assessment phase of the programme would “determine the best and most appropriate manufacturing approach” as well as “confirm the number of platforms required by the British Army,” Cartlidge said on 13 May.
Previous analysis of the potential future structure of the British Army indicates nine artillery regiments in service, broken down into 2 x Deep Fires (M270), 3 x light close support (L118 105mm/replacement), 2 x close support artillery (possibly RCH 155 and/or Archer), and 2 x armoured close support (AS90 replacement, the RCH 155).
This structure as outlined under Future Soldier was created prior to the selection of the RCH 155, with the British Army appearing to lose its armoured close support, potentially providing for 4 x close support artillery in any new structure.
The acquisition comes as the UK current artillery capability is being worn down by the continued granting in kind of its AS90 155mm SPHs to Ukraine, with an April announcement revealing the provision of 50 platforms so far.
UK SPH capability at all-time low
The UK has seen a dramatic fall in SPH numbers, with the British Army receiving 179 AS90 platforms from 1992-1995. However, systems have been steadily withdrawn with 134 units in service in 2008, reducing to 117 by 2015, according to UK figures.
Following the granting in kind of the new batch of a potential 18 AS90s to Ukraine, the British Army could be left with around 30 platforms in service.
An interim purchase of 14 Archer 155mm truck-based artillery pieces was confirmed in 2023, with the systems having recently undergone testing firing before entry into the British Army.
