Ukraine just got a powerful new weapon from one of its closest allies

Ukraine has finally received a powerful new artillery system from Germany according to a report from the German news outlet Welt. 

According to the report, German Defense Minister Borys Pistorius transferred six of the 54 RCH-155 self-propelled artillery systems ordered by Kyiv to Ukriane's ambassador in Germany Oleksii Makeiev on January 13th.  

"Ukraine can count on us, and this (the delivery) is a signal. And Germany is ready to take responsibility in Europe," Pistorius was quoted as saying according to a translation of his comments from The Kyiv Independent. 

Whether or not the advanced RCH-155s will be transferred to Ukraine immediately or whether they will be used to train gun crews is not known according to the Ukrainian military website Militarnyi, but the transfer represents an addition of a powerful new artillery system to Ukraine's growing arsenal. 

Ukraine first requested the RCH 155 in July 2022 according to The Kyiv Independent. It has taken time, but the first systems have finally been transferred to Kyiv. Let’s look at the RCH 155 and how it could help Ukraine. 

On August 15th, 2024 the German Defense Ministry revealed via Major General Dr. Christian Freuding that Ukraine would be receiving the RCH 155 artillery system before the end of 2024 according to a report by Army Recognition. 

A screenshot from a YouTube conversation Major General Dr. Freuding had about the front in Ukraine published on the Bundeswher’s YouTube channel showed the major general confirming the delivery of the RCH 155 before December 2024. However, the first systems from Germany appear to have only officially arrived in January 2025. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot YouTube @Bundeswehr

The RCH 155 is short for Remote Controlled Howitzer 155mm and it is a very powerful self-propelled artillery gun. The weapons delivery to Ukraine is notable for several reasons, the least of which is what it can do for Kyiv. 

Euromaidan Press pointed out that the RCH 155 is so new that no other world military has deployed the artillery gun yet, meaning Ukraine is now the country first to do so now that six of the new systems have been transferred to Ukraine.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG, CC BY 4.0

According to the website German Aid to Ukraine, Berlin originally planned to supply Ukraine with 36 RCH 155 units. The artillery systems were set to arrive in two batches of 18 but the number was later upped to 56 systems. 

A press release from RCH 155 manufacturer KNDS, a Franco-German firm, revealed the larger number of artillery systems set to be delivered to Ukraine in June 2024 along with several other weapons the defense company making for Ukraine.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By KMW, CC BY 4.0

“Currently, [the] Ukrainian Army [has] signed 54 RCH 155 with KNDS,” noted the defense company in its June 18th press release. However, the number of RCH 155 systems that will be sent was up for debate at that time according to German Aid to Ukraine. 

In a June post following the KNDS press release, German Aid to Ukraine reported that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during a May 30th visit to Odesa that 18 RCH 155 systems were set to arrive in 2025. 

While the delivery date of the remaining RCH 155 artillery systems is still unknown at this time, what is known is how these powerful new weapons could help impact the ongoing defense of Ukrainian territory. 

The RCH 155 “combines mobility, firepower, and protection to provide an effective and responsive artillery capability on the battlefield” according to Army Recognition and it is “capable of striking long-range targets with great precision.”

The RCH 155 only requires a crew of two and its automatic gun and computer targetting system make it an efficient firing platform that can quickly coordinate with other units via its radio transmission system. 

“In terms of protection, the RCH 155 is built to survive in hostile environments,” Army Recognition wrote, adding the vehicle was well protected against artillery shell fragments and small arms fire and could withstand chemical, biological, and nuclear threats. 

Defence Blog reported the RCH 155 can fire up to 8 rounds per minute at a range of 40 kilometers (roughly 25 miles) using standard ammunition and that can be increased to 56 kilometers (roughly 35 miles) using Very Long-range Artillery Projectiles (VLAP).

“The RCH 155 is particularly special because this system belongs to a completely new generation of artillery systems,” Euromaidan Press wrote about the new artillery system. 

“There is no doubt that the combat baptism of highly automated howitzers produced in Germany will be closely observed when they will be operated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Euromaidan Press added.

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.