Germany, Britain plan to build remote-controlled howitzers together

Germany and Britain plan to jointly develop a remote-controlled howitzer for future military ground operations, the British government announced on Wednesday as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Berlin.

The "joint endeavour" will develop "remote-controlled howitzer 155mm wheeled artillery systems (RCH 155), which will be fitted to Boxer vehicles" from German tank manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), according to the statement from Number 10 Downing Street.

The howitzer can fire up to nine 155-millimetre calibre artillery shells per minute at a range of up to 40 kilometres.

The RCH 155 is the world's first howitzer capable of firing while travelling and is therefore better suited to evading enemy fire, the statement from Number 10 added.

The visit to Berlin is the inaugural visit to Germany for Sunak, who has been in office since October 2022. He arrived in Berlin on Tuesday evening after a visit to the Polish capital Warsaw.

A joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is planned for early Wednesday afternoon.

In addition to increased cooperation on defence, the two heads of government also want to discuss cooperation in the field of energy and the fight against organized crime, according to British sources.

They also plan to discuss the export of hydrogen as an energy source from the UK to Germany.

"Today we are opening a new chapter in our relationship, one that will make us safer and more prosperous," said Sunak according to the press release.

The Conservative politician added that Britain and Germany were standing side by side at this dangerous time for the world to maintain security and prosperity at home and across the European continent.