Remote-controlled guns to be made in £1bn contract

Arms firms in Shropshire and Greater Manchester will produce remote-controlled guns for the British Army as part of a new £1bn contract.

Rheinmetall will make 72 remote-controlled Howitzers (RCH 155), which are capable of firing eight rounds per minute at targets up to 70km (43.4 miles) away, and are controlled by the push of a button.

The Telford-based firm will use British steel supplied by Sheffield Forgemasters, while the BOXER chassis that the system sits on will be made by KNDS UK in Stockport.

The contract, which also includes training and in-service support, will create 100 new jobs in Telford, and support another 100 in Stockport, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

The programme will also support 300 jobs in the wider UK supply chain, the ministry added.

RCH 155 is mounted on to a BOXER chassis, and can redeploy at speeds of up to 100km/h (62mph).

The MoD said it was part of efforts to deliver the Trinity House Agreement between the UK and Germany, which, signed in October 2024, included commitments to strengthen defense industries in both countries.

First deliveries of the RCH 155 vehicles are expected in 2028, to be deployed before the end of the decade.

"This major investment is defence delivering for the battlefield and for Britain's economy," the Defence Secretary, John Healey, said.

"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."

Correction 14 May: The headline on a previous version of this story said the contract was worth £2bn, rather than £1bn, as confirmed by the MoD

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