First of brand new German-made howitzers handed over to Ukraine

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius handed over the first of dozens of new German-made RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine to reinforce the country’s artillery on Monday.

“Ukraine can count on us, and this is a signal. And Germany is ready to assume responsibility in Europe,” Pistorius said on Monday in the central German city of Kassel, where the tank manufacturer KNDS produces the weapon system.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, symbolically accepted the first of a total of 54 planned wheeled howitzers for his country.

The first six of these systems will initially remain in Germany and be used to train Ukrainian soldiers.

“We don’t need mediators, we need allies,” said the ambassador, a reference to widespread discourse among Western political leaders about possible negotiations to end the ongoing war.

Peace must be fought for, Makeiev said, and it is good to know that Germany is on Ukraine’s side.

KNDS was created through a merger of the German weapons company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and the French armaments company Nexter.

The company describes the new RCH 155 artillery system as the “world’s most modern wheeled howitzer,” which makes it possible to fire on the move for the first time.

The turret can be operated remotely and can be controlled from outside the vehicle. The new and largely automated artillery system can be manned by just two soldiers.

The howitzer – a 155mm gun mounted on an armoured wheeled vehicle with four axles – will later also be supplied to the German military.

KNDS also builds the Panzerhaubitze 2000, a tracked artillery piece that utilizes the same 155mm gun.