After the UK gave Ukraine the AS90, its army was left with almost no howitzers
Before the war in Ukraine began, the British Army had 89 AS90 self-propelled howitzers out of 179 ordered in the 1990s. The replacement of these artillery systems under the MFP programme was planned no earlier than 2030.
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Following London's decision in January 2023 to transfer 32 AS90s to Ukraine, the then UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace initiated an acceleration of the MFP programme. One of the key arguments was the relatively short range of the AS90 - up to 25 km, while the latest systems in Europe have a range of up to 55 km.
To compensate for the losses, 14 Archer wheeled howitzers were ordered from Sweden's BAE Systems Bofors AB. All of them have already been delivered to the British Army, but this is only a temporary solution. In April 2024, London chose the German RCH-155 system, developed by KNDS Deutschland and mounted on the Boxer infantry fighting vehicle, as the main replacement for the AS90 under the MFP programme.
The Swedish 155mm Archer self-propelled artillery system. Illustration: Wikipedia
This howitzer has a range of 40 to 54 km, is capable of firing up to 9 rounds per minute and can fire on the move. The first samples are expected to be delivered no earlier than 2029.
During 2024, the UK handed over 18 more AS90s to Ukraine, and according to Army Technology, the UK may have given all of its operational AS90s to the Ukrainian army. Although there have been no official statements on this, experts speculate that the complete withdrawal of the AS90 is linked to plans to reduce maintenance costs, as announced by Defence Secretary John Healey last November.
A German 155mm wheeled self-propelled gun on the Boxer armoured personnel carrier chassis. Illustration: Wikipedia
Until the RCH-155 arrives, barring additional orders for the Archer, the British Army is left with 126 towed 105mm guns and 43 M270 multiple launch rocket systems, a number that is set to increase to 76 by 2029.
Source: Opex360
