Major defence contract to support 100 jobs in Stockport

A nearly £1 billion British Army procurement contract will support around 100 skilled jobs at the Stockport location of defence manufacturer, KNDS (formerly WFEL).

The deal will also create 100 new jobs at Rheinmetall’s site in Telford, as well as support a further 300 positions in the two firms’ UK supply chain.

72 RCH 155 Remote Controlled Howitzers (pictured) will be procured under the contract, which additionally includes initial training and in-service support. The contract was awarded to ARTEC GmbH, a joint venture between KNDS and Rheinmetall, on behalf of the British Army by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) following the 2024 Trinity House Agreement to strengthen UK-German defence cooperation.

The weapon systems will be manufactured in Telford at Rheinmetall’s large-calibre production facility using British steel, while the BOXER driver module will be manufactured by KNDS UK at its site in Stockport.

German Federal Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, said:

“The RCH 155 will significantly enhance the artillery’s firepower, safety and flexibility. It is a vital element of modern artillery support. Together with the United Kingdom, we are demonstrating that we take interoperability within NATO seriously and are putting it into practice.

“At the same time, we are underlining the close defence cooperation between Germany and the UK.”

The British Army’s Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lt Gen Simon Hamilton CBE said:  

“The success of bringing the RCH 155 onto contract to develop our 155mm Close Support Artillery requirement, in collaboration with Germany, marks the first significant milestone in replenishing this capability. We are grateful to the National Armaments Director, our industry partners and our own programme teams for the fantastic work which they have done to bring this to fruition and look forward to our continued work with our German allies.”