British Army to be equipped with remote-controlled guns in £1bn deal – UK Times

Remote-controlled guns will soon become a part of the British Army’s artillery as part of a £1 billion investment in defence.

British soldiers will have access to 72 Remote-Controlled Howitzers 155mm (RCH-155), capable of firing eight rounds per minute at targets up to 70km (43.5 miles) away.

The remote-controlled gun will be mounted on a BOXER chassis that can redeploy at speeds of up to 100kmph (62mph), making it harder for adversaries to target, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The platform can be operated at the push of a button from a crew compartment by just two soldiers.

The guns will be manufactured on British soil by European companies Rheinmetall and KNDS, which the MoD estimates will support at least 500 jobs.

Rheinmetall’s Telford facility will manufacture the barrel, breech, recoil system and trunnions using British steel supplied by Sheffield Forgemasters – news that comes after the prime minister announced on Tuesday that steel production would be nationalised.

The chassis, engine and drive train that the weapon sits on will be manufactured at KNDS Stockport.

Deputy chief of the general staff, Lt Gen Simon Hamilton, said the remote-controlled guns would mark the “first significant milestone in replenishing” Britain’s artillery, having provided weaponry to Ukraine.

“Britain answered the call for aid by providing artillery systems to Ukraine at the outbreak of the war,” he said. “We knew the risk – the gap in our warfighting capability – that this would present.”

The programme is part of the Trinity House Agreement, a UK-German collaboration established in October 2024 to strengthen European defence and security ties and increase industrial capacity on armoured vehicles and artillery.

Defence secretary John Healey MP said the investment would help strengthen Nato against the growing threat of Russian aggression.

“This major investment is defence delivering for the battlefield and for Britain’s economy. By securing next-generation artillery with Germany, not only are we rearming to strengthen Nato against growing Russian aggression, but also creating highly skilled jobs here in Britain.

“This is what we mean when we say defence is an engine for growth – investment in our security that powers new jobs across the country.”

The first deliveries of the RCH-155 vehicles are expected in 2028.

The UK government has aimed to step up defence spending to 2.6 per cent of GDP from 2027 after Nato allies committed to a target of 5 per cent of GDP by 2035.

Former defence chief Lord Stirrup warned in February the UK risked being seen as a “paper tiger” on defence and needed to “put our money where our mouth is”.

An open letter from three former defence secretaries, retired senior military chiefs and ex-MI6 head Sir Richard Dearlove said Britain’s actions were falling “dangerously short” of meeting treaty obligations.

“We are deluding ourselves if we believe Russia and our other adversaries are unaware of this,” the letter in the Daily Telegraph read.

“Commit now to a bold, credible and measurable path to spending 5 per cent of GDP on core defence, providing the certainty our Armed Forces, industry, and our long-standing allies need to deter aggression and secure Britain’s future.”