The government has confirmed that the British Army’s Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 programme will deliver a Minimum Deployable Capability within this decade, with the full programme expected to cost more than £3 billion across its service life.
Minister of State for Defence Luke Pollard provided the details in response to written questions from Mark Francois MP, the Conservative member for Rayleigh and Wickford, tabled on 26 May. Pollard confirmed that “in line with the Integrated Procurement Model, the UK’s Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 programme will deliver a Minimum Deployable Capability within this decade,” defining that capability as “a Royal Artillery Battery equipped with RCH155 platforms, having completed the necessary specialist training,” with “an appropriate peacetime safety case to enable training on UK ranges, preparing the sub-unit for potential operational deployment.”
The acquisition cost for the programme is estimated to exceed £1 billion, comprising a £53 million Long Lead Item contract let in March 2025, a £52 million Early Capability Demonstrator contract awarded in December 2025, and the series production contract announced on 13 May 2026. The whole life cost of procuring and supporting a fleet of 72 systems is expected to exceed £3 billion over a projected 25-year service life.
The RCH155 is a wheeled self-propelled howitzer developed by Rheinmetall, mounted on a Boxer armoured vehicle platform. It is capable of firing standard 155mm NATO artillery rounds at ranges of up to 40 kilometres and can execute autonomous loading, laying and firing sequences without crew exposure. The system has seen operational use in Ukraine, and its selection by the UK follows a broader European trend toward wheeled, highly mobile artillery platforms that reduce logistical burden compared to tracked predecessors.
The British Army’s acquisition of 72 systems is a significant recapitalisation of its long-range fires capability, replacing the AS90 self-propelled howitzer, a tracked system that had been in service before mostly being transferred to Ukraine.
Any chance of a tracked ‘Fires’ system in the future? My current hobbyhorse is autonomous armour. Anything from MBTs to small logistic transporters. Artillery must also be on the list, and a senior UK defence minister has told a conference that drones are the new and essential tool on the battlefront. Many thousands of drones will be required, and no nation can afford to be lax on this issue. Possibly, in the days when war is measured in dead forces, we may be counting in drone loss. Placing personnel in direct danger is expensive on so many fronts, both in lives and in the loss of months and years of training. Germany is experiencing some resistance to conscription, and I guess that will be a modern reaction across NATO. Robotics, drones and AI are the way forward whether we like it or not, and the vision of a future when a drone can deliver your post could also drop an explosive on your house! Sadly, warfare could be a much more local hazard for us all and bring the battlefront to our front doors.
Tracked Fires system is MLRS, which is expanding in launchers, recovery vehicles, and units, with 39 RA to stand up shortly, if it hasn’t already done so.
So no 155mm on tracks then? There is turmoil in the MOD, I guess, at the moment, as the DIP slips further away and how to proceed with the Army’s modernisation. I would not be surprised if there is a significant shift to anti-drone-mounted systems on MBTs and APCs and how to handle the snail’s pace of Boxer production and the stumbling Ajax 2 programme. Sadly, further exacerbation must be quickly selecting an IVF and FV432 replacement in short order. All this as remote systems appear to be challenging crewed armour in the future; hence, my recommendation the UK begins development of a remote 30-40 tonne MBT and recaptures a market it once dominated.
“So no 155mm on tracks then?”
Considering there are only 3 regular Regiments in the RA that could make use of them, given the current Army ORBAT roles, no.
The RCH155 purchase covers that.
Thanks DM.