Swiss army upgrades with cutting-edge AGM artillery systems
Switzerland has selected the replacements for the 50-year-old M109 howitzers, opting for the AGM artillery modules mounted on Piranha IV wheeled vehicles. This is the same turret system as the RCH 155 systems ordered by Ukraine. We explain what this system can do.
The Swiss Federal Office for Defence Procurement announced the outcome of the Artillerie Wirkplattform und Wirkmittel (WPWM) program initiated in 2019. The German AGM (Artillery Gun Module) system from KNDS, mounted on the Piranha IV vehicle chassis, emerged as the winner. It will replace the Panzerhaubitze M109 KAWEST howitzers, acquired in the 1960s and modernized in the 1990s.
The winning system and the competitive H77BW Archer were evaluated during a rigorous series of tests between January 2023 and June 2024. The AGM turret mounted on the Piranha IV chassis was rated the best. The KNDS proposal, including a logistics package and the projected costs of using the product over its lifetime, was considered the most favourable.
AGM turret system — a long-awaited revolution in artillery
Developed by KNDS, the AGM system, originally mounted on the GTK Boxer vehicle chassis, is revolutionary compared to current systems like the AHS Krab, PzH 2000, Zuzana 2, and CAESAR.
While the above systems must stop and deploy supports to fire, the RCH 155 can fire on the move at speeds up to 30 kilometres per hour. This capability significantly reduces the risk of the system being targeted by counter-battery fire.
Moreover, it remains fundamentally a 155 mm artillery system with a barrel length of 52 calibres (about 8 metres). Its high level of automation sets it apart, with a loading system that manages both shells and propellant charges (in systems like the PzH 2000, these are loaded manually).
This automation allows the crew to be reduced to just two soldiers, and current concepts at KNDS also include developing a fully remote-controlled variant in the future.
Performance depends on the ammunition used: for the basic DM121 type shells, the range is about 30 kilometres; for versions with a gas generator, approximately 40 kilometres; and for shells with a rocket booster, even 50-60 kilometres. It's also possible to use experimental sub-calibre Vulcano 155 GLR shells with a range of 70-80 kilometres or self-guiding anti-tank ammunition such as the SMArt 155 or Bonus projectiles. Naturally, the AGM module also enables firing a five-shell sequence in MRSI mode, where all shells strike the target nearly simultaneously.
Germany, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom have purchased the RCH 155 system based on the GTK Boxer chassis, and it seems likely that Italy will follow suit. Given this context, the Swiss choice of a version adapted to their chassis is not surprising.
