Rheinmetall decided to take very significant step in further artillery system development and showed new 155mm artillery system with 60-caliber barrel length, meaning 9.3 meters, with howitzer weight of 2.5 tons.
This is record indicator exceeding standard 155/52 artillery systems by 1.24 meters. Rheinmetall development also surpasses even promising 155/58 system creation developments under U.S. ERCA program, which was ultimately canceled.
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Currently, as company reports, development is already undergoing active testing. Already in early 2025, testing with maximum pressure exceeding 600 MPa was completed, with projectile speed exceeding 1,100 m/s.
Note Rheinmetall did not disclose their 155/52 howitzer parameters, but for such systems typical pressure is about 450 MPa, and 1,100 m/s speed is achieved only with special projectiles, while standard rounds achieve about 850-950 m/s.
Overall Rheinmetall estimates new 155/60 system firing range will be 30% further than 155/52. Specifically, taking declared parameters for RCH-155, for which Rheinmetall produces gun with 52-caliber barrel length and 23-liter chamber volume, its firing range is 40 km with standard projectile and 70 km with promising long-range Vulcano. This means from 155/60 one can possibly expect firing range exceeding 50 and 90 km respectively.
Recall already mentioned ERCA during firing achieved target hit at 70 km range using Excalibur precision projectile. At the same time, ERCA's main disadvantage, which sealed project's fate, was short barrel life due to excessive wear after relatively small number of shots.
How Rheinmetall plans to avoid this problem is currently unknown. However, developers already announced conducting first demonstration firing in 2026. In other words, development is already at quite high readiness levels.
In case of success, Rheinmetall development, which can be integrated into most existing modern self-propelled howitzers, will enable obtaining truly key advantage over all market competitors. One of most anticipated candidates is Rheinmetall's traditional partner — KNDS Deutschland, which through new 155/60 howitzer can transform its RCH-155 into world’s longest-range self-propelled howitzer.
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