Germany hands over first of 54 ordered RCH 155 howitzers to Ukraine
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius handed over the first new RCH 155 wheeled howitzer to Ukraine. A total of 54 howitzers of this type are planned to be transferred to Ukraine.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Stuttgarter Zeitung.
"Ukraine can count on us, and this is a signal. And Germany is ready to assume responsibility in Europe," the minister said in Kassel, where the KNDS tank company manufactures the system.
The first six systems will remain in Germany for now and will be used to train Ukrainian soldiers.
In January 2023, it was reported that a German engineering company had begun production of RCH 155 self-propelled artillery systems for Ukraine.
RCH 155 howitzer
The 155-mm Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 artillery pieces have a barrel length of 52 caliber. The RCH 155 is based on the GTK Boxer wheeled armored personnel carrier chassis with an 8×8 wheel configuration.
The system has an automated AGM turret artillery module with the artillery part of the German PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer.
The crew of the system consists of only two people. The AGM module has a 30-round ammunition capacity. The manufacturer claims that the range is 40 km and up to 52 km with V-LAP shells. The self-propelled gun is also capable of using long-range VULCANO and EXCALIBUR shells. The total combat weight of the vehicle is 39 tons, the weight of the AGM module is 12.5 tons. The vehicle is powered by an 815 hp MTU diesel engine.
