This event, covered by the newspaper Welt, took place at Rheinmetall’s facility in Kassel, where the RCH 155s are produced. The first unit will be used in Germany for the training of Ukrainian crews.
Background on the Transfer
On January 9, Minister Pistorius noted that Ukraine would receive the first six RCH 155 howitzers in 2025, and that the initial transfer would happen about a week after the announcement for that year.
Originally, Ukraine planned in 2022 to purchase 18 RCH 155 systems, but later increased the order first to 36 units, then to 54. Delivery timelines kept shifting because Rheinmetall could not immediately start full-scale production. Besides Ukraine, the United Kingdom also became an export customer. Rheinmetall intends to expand production by setting up additional capacity in the UK, where both the 155 mm/52-caliber artillery guns and the platform itself will be produced.
Features of the RCH 155
- Platform
The howitzer is based on an 8×8 GTK Boxer wheeled chassis. - Artillery Module
It features an AGM (Artillery Gun Module) turret system—essentially the artillery portion of a PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer. - Crew and Ammunition
The AGM is unmanned, so the total crew is only two people. The module carries 30 shells. - Firing Capability
The RCH 155 can fire on the move. Its maximum range is 40 km with standard projectiles and up to 52 km with V-LAP shells, and it also supports long-range VULCANO and EXCALIBUR munitions.
Context: KF41 Lynx for Ukraine
Separately, Germany recently transferred the KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicle to Ukraine, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces have started testing. This 44-ton IFV is armed with a 30 or 35 mm automatic cannon in a LANCE turret, plus a machine gun and an optional anti-tank missile launcher. The Lynx’s armor protects against 30 mm projectiles in front and 14.5 mm fire on the sides. Its underbody withstands blasts up to the equivalent of 10 kg of TNT.