Boxer RCH 155. Image – UK MoD
The UK and Germany have agreed to co-develop the Boxer RCH 155, a new artillery system to address the British Army’s Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) requirement.
The program seeks to procure a new 155 mm self-propelled artillery system to replace aging AS90 self-propelled howitzers, which have been in service since 1992. The Army plans to acquire 116 systems.
The program was accelerated in early 2023 with a goal of fielding a system before the end of the decade as opposed to the early 2030s. This was confirmed in a recent release by the British Army, which stated that the new RCH 155 systems will enter service this decade.
The RCH 155 is a marriage of two European programs: the modular Boxer 8×8 chassis, built by the ARTEC consortium, serves as the foundation. Mounted on this base is an Artillery Gun Module, developed by KNDS Deutschland (formerly Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW)). This module itself is based on the German Army’s PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer, bringing its 155mm punch to a wheeled platform.
Competitors for the MFP requirement reportedly included Hanwha Defense’s Team Thunder with its K9A2 self-propelled howitzer, Nexter’s CAESAR 8×8 SPH, BAE Systems Archer, and Rheinmetall with an HX3 10×10 truck carrying a remote-controlled artillery turret.