The Swiss arms procurement agency has picked the Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm (RCH 155) artillery system as its replacement for the aging M109 self-propelled howitzer.
The KNDS system will be mounted on a 10×10 Piranha IV wheeled armored vehicle.
It bested the Archer Mobile Howitzer from Sweden’s BAE Systems Bofors AB in the final selection round. The two were shortlisted from the responses of various manufacturers.
The final selection was based on a cost-benefit analysis and comprehensive trials, including “logistical investigations, technical testing of the main weapon abroad and mobility in the Swiss road network and terrain, troop trials with military professionals and members of the militia of the Swiss Armed Forces, as well as various visits and live firings with foreign armies and procurement authorities,” the federal procurement agency detailed in a press release.
The agency is now planning to apply to the Swiss parliament for funding for the acquisition, details of which have not been shared.
M109 Howitzer
Switzerland procured around 580 M109s from the US in multiple batches starting in 1968. The system went through major upgrades in 1995 and 2012.
Meanwhile, a final “extension of use” of the system is ongoing to keep it operational until a replacement arrives.
“The final measures are currently taking place with an extension of use 2021 with the intention of operating the system until its replacement by the AGM Artillery Gun Module on Piranha IV,” the agency said.
The Swiss Army has been left with around 130 operational M109s.
The Replacement
The RCH 155 combines the firepower and the range of the operational PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer with an automated and remotely controlled gun module.
The remote module provides automated navigation and fire control and gun laying and projectile and charge loading.
These capabilities enhance the system’s efficiency, including to shoot six modular charges across many elevations without support.
Increased automation also reduces the crew size to two (driver/operator, commander), which in turn enables a quick “shoot and scoot” capability.
Moreover, the wheeled armored protected vehicle the system is mounted and provides crew protection and mobility.
In terms of range, it can strike a target up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) away with standard ammunition.