Britain said on Wednesday it will spend 1 billion pounds ($1.35 billion) buying its army 72 remote controlled RCH 155 howitzers, an artillery gun mounted on a vehicle, as part of a modernisation plan which will support over 500 jobs.
• UK has a gap in its war-fighting capability after handing its previous fleet of artillery systems, AS90s, to Ukraine in recent years. The RCH 155s will fill that gap.
• First deliveries of RCH 155 vehicles are expected in 2028.
• Contract is with Germany-headquartered ARTEC GmbH, a joint venture between KNDS and Rheinmetall.
• Weapons systems will be made at Rheinmetall’s facility in central England, while the chassis and engine will be made at KNDS UK in northern England.
• British defence minister John Healey says contract delivers for the battlefield and the economy.
• The gun can fire at targets 70 km (44 miles) away and move at over 100 km (62 miles) per hour, making it hard for adversaries to attack.
• Britain has pledged its biggest defence-spending increase since World War Two, but industry is still waiting for a defence investment plan which has been delayed by months.
($1 = 0.7406 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young）
