Switzerland has awarded KNDS a contract to deliver 32 Artillery Gun Module (AGM) wheeled self-propelled howitzer systems based on the RCH 155 artillery system.
The system was selected over the Archer Mobile Howitzer in November 2024 to replace Switzerland’s aging M109 fleet, which entered service in the 1960s.
Deliveries to the Swiss Armed Forces are scheduled to begin in 2031 and will include 32 ammunition loading containers, training equipment, and comprehensive logistical support.
GDELS-Mowag will provide its Piranha IV 10×10 vehicle as the carrier platform for the AGM systems.
“With this contract, KNDS is implementing Switzerland’s largest artillery procurement project of recent years,” CEO of KNDS Deutschland Florian Hohenwarter said.
“We are grateful not only for this significant procurement order itself, but also for the decades-long partnership and the fundamental trust placed in us by the Swiss user community and armasuisse.
KNDS will deliver more than just wheeled howitzers. As a systems provider, we offer a comprehensive mission solution tailored to customer requirements—from system training and maintenance, to logistical support, and even ammunition storage.”
AGM Howitzer
Featuring a fully automated, remotely operated gun module, the AGM is the only artillery system in the world capable of conducting fire missions while on the move.
Its high degree of automation reduces the crew requirement to just two personnel — a driver/operator and a commander — enabling rapid “shoot-and-scoot” operations. The vehicle also provides sufficient space for an optional third crew member or additional storage capacity.
The system can fire up to nine rounds per minute and offers a 360-degree traverse and an elevation range of minus 2.5 to 65 degrees. It carries 30 ready-to-fire projectiles and 144 modular propellant charges for immediate use.
Depending on the ammunition and charge configuration, the AGM can engage targets at ranges of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) with base-bleed rounds and up to 54 kilometers (34 miles) with rocket-assisted ammunition.
Beyond Switzerland, the RCH 155 has secured orders from Germany, the UK, Qatar, and Ukraine.
