Britain and Germany have signed a £52 million contract for an Early Capability Demonstrator of the RCH 155 self-propelled artillery, the Ministry of Defence confirmed via a gov.uk update. Two additional demonstrator platforms will go to Germany as the partners run a joint test programme and share data.

Mounted on the Boxer armoured vehicle, RCH 155 is designed to fire while moving, combining mobility with reach. The MoD cites a top road speed of up to 100km/h and precision strikes at around 70km, giving land forces greater room to manoeuvre and more options against counter-battery threats.

For the British Army, the demonstrator sits within the long-term Mobile Fires Platform requirement. Soldiers are currently operating 14 Archer systems as a short-term replacement after AS90 guns were gifted to Ukraine; RCH 155 is positioned as the potential long-run solution if trials validate performance and supportability.

Performance claims from the MoD highlight eight rounds per minute, the ability to put rounds out in any direction without repositioning, and a 700km road range-roughly the drive from Cornwall to Newcastle. A two-person crew, enabled by automation, points to lower manpower demands and quicker set-up compared with older systems.

Beyond the hardware, this is a story about procurement discipline. By sharing test facilities and results, London and Berlin aim to compress timelines and remove duplicated cost-classic ways to trim programme risk for both treasuries. Officials argue the approach delivers better value for taxpayers while bringing capability forward sooner.

The deal underpins the government’s Strategic Defence Review ambition to make defence an engine for growth this Parliament. The MoD says the work supports skilled jobs across the UK defence industry, spanning software, sensors, integration, training, and in‑service support-areas where SMEs often supply critical components.

It also deepens UK–German cooperation under the Trinity House agreement signed in October 2024. For NATO, common equipment and shared trials improve interoperability and logistics planning-practical benefits when allied units need to slot into the same command-and-control environment at short notice.

Ministers link the requirement to battlefield lessons from Ukraine, where rapid displacement has proved decisive. Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard said the goal is to hit at range and move before counter-fire arrives, with the demonstrator intended to deliver that mix of reach and survivability.

For industry watchers, the direction of travel is clear: artillery, mobility, and automation remain funding priorities. A two-person crew implies more autonomous subsystems, resilient communications, and predictive maintenance software-capabilities where UK suppliers can compete if they meet NATO certification and cybersecurity standards.

The near-term watchpoint is the joint test programme. Results will shape how quickly the British Army can move from demonstrator to fielding decisions, how the fleet balances with existing Archer batteries, and the depth of UK industrial participation. For now, £52 million buys data, tempo, and a faster path to adoption if the system proves itself.