Fast and deadly. How the Swedish Archer reinforced the artillery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

As part of a new aid package from Sweden, our country will receive 18 additional Archer self-propelled guns. There are already many examples of Western long-range weapons in the Ukrainian artillery fleet, but the Scandinavian design stands out from the crowd due to a number of key differences. LIGA.net tells about the Swedes' unusual approach to gun design, why the Archer is often compared to a machine gun and a sniper rifle, and how it was tested in the crucible of war.An original approachSince Sweden has long remained a non-aligned state, its army has relied heavily on the development of its own military-industrial complex. For example, the main fighter aircraft of its air force is the fourth-generation JAS 39 Gripen, developed by Saab. The same approach was taken with artillery.When the question of adopting a new main howitzer arose in the 1960s, Stockholm had been looking at the American M109 (also known as the Palladium) for some time. The latter has become the main workhorse in its class in the armed forces of NATO and US allies. But the Swedish Ministry of Defense concluded that its mobility and rate of fire were too low, and its maintenance costs were too high.See also From the Czech Republic with Love. How the latest Dita artillery system can change the battlefieldIt was decided to develop a domestic howitzer devoid of these drawbacks. And here, the Swedish designers came up with an original solution: the FH77 gun they created could move independently thanks to an auxiliary power unit. Thus, it was more mobile than a conventional trailed howitzer, but not as expensive as a self-propelled artillery unit.Archer started with the idea of creating a full-fledged UAV based on the FH77 back in 2002. Hence the official name – Archer FH77 BW L52. The prototype was completed eight years later and adopted by the Swedish army in 2016. Norway could have become the first foreign operator of the system, which was interested at the development stage but later changed its mind. In response, the Swedish government doubled its initial order of 24 units .Eventually, the first buyer was the United Kingdom, which ordered a batch of Archers in 2023 to replace its AS-90s that had been transferred to Ukraine. In the same year, these vehicles also reinforced the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The cost of one unit is estimated at almost $10.5 million.The Autonomous Hunter"The Archer uses an improved 155-mm cannon from the aforementioned FH77 howitzer. The main difference is that it is fully automatic and autonomous. Due to this, the crew consists of only three people: a commander, a gunner and a driver-mechanic. In theory, it can be operated by only one person. The crew does not even need to leave the cockpit to perform all actions except for surface repairs .The Swedish development can be called a real machine gun among self-propelled artillery systems. It takes only 30 seconds to prepare to fire it and exactly the same time to roll up and leave the position.The rate of fire is 8-9 shots per minute. That is, Archer can fire a full standard 20-round ammunition in 2.5 minutes. In case of continuous firing, it can fire up to 75 rounds per hour. However, this is undesirable as the gun barrel wears out faster.It also has the MRSI (multiple round simultaneous impact) firing mode. It works as follows: The self-propelled artillery system fires a series of shots and changes the angle of the gun before each one. As a result, several shells hit the same point at the same time or almost simultaneously. This greatly simplifies the task of guaranteeing the destruction of a particularly important but moving target .See also Rides and Shoots. Will the RCH 155 self-propelled artillery system ordered by Ukraine become the future of artilleryThe vehicle's on-board computer is equipped with a fire control system, a guidance and inertial navigation system, and a radar for the initial velocity of the projectile. The latter is used to assess the effectiveness of the weapon, analyze the characteristics of ammunition, including aerodynamics.The Archer has a range of 40 km with standard ammunition, and when using high-precision ammunition such as Excalibur, this figure increases to 60 km. The gun is compatible with the entire NATO 155 mm caliber nomenclature. To reduce the recoil, it is equipped with a double hydraulic stabilizer (outrigger) that is lowered in the ground during preparation for firing.The chassis is a 6x6 civilian Volvo A30E dump truck. The designers of the automated weapon system tried to minimize changes in the design. In fact, they replaced the cargo body with a gun and added a fire control system to the driver's cab. Thanks to this, Archer can be repaired at any service station. On the highway, it can accelerate to 70 km/h and has a range of up to 500 km.As for the protective capabilities, the Luchnik's cabin is armored enough to withstand 7.62 mm bullets, including armor-piercing bullets, as well as a mine explosion of up to 6 kg. In case of emergency evacuation of the crew, the roof of the cabin is equipped with a hatch.A remote-controlled machine gun can also be mounted there in case of close combat. The Hutchinson AMVF1 emergency tire kit allows you to continue driving even if all wheels are damaged.As of now, there is only one version of the automated control system, but modifications based on the experience gained are possible.Sniper howitzerUnlike its "colleagues" such as the French Caesar or Czech Dana, the Archer had no experience in real combat. This hindered its prospects in the arms export market.The Russian-Ukrainian war became a full-fledged baptism of fire for the Archer. As part of the Swedish aid package, Ukraine received eight of these vehicles, which were transferred to the 45th Artillery Brigade. Soldiers who had previously fought with Soviet systems, spoke very positively about, describing it as a "sniper howitzer." It takes only one or two shots to destroy a target.Of the confirmed losses, Luchnyk's assets include three destroyed Russian D-20 howitzers near Kreminna in March 2024. In May of the same year, a Russian Msta-S self-propelled gun was successfully destroyed near the village of Chervonopopivka in Luhansk region. Not a single Archer was lost. In February, Kremlin propaganda claimed that a kamikaze drone had destroyed one unit. However, the Armed Forces of Ukraine responded to that it was only damaged and the UAV was being repaired.See also Patriot. Could the Kilchen SAM protect Ukrainian skiesArcher's capabilities have already been evaluated in Latvia: the local Ministry of Defense has ordered 18 units for its armed forces. They will be based on the MAN HX2 8x8 tactical truck from Rheinmetall. Romania and Canada are considering purchasing 36 and an unspecified number of self-propelled guns, respectively .Back in 2020, the United States expressed its intention to increase the mobility of its artillery forces with a wheeled version. Archer was among the options considered by the Pentagon. However, with the advent of the Trump administration and its declared focus on America First, the procurement project was most likely curtailed.Interestingly, Stockholm wants to be prepared for combat operations in the Far North. This year, they noted the poor suitability of the "Archers" for combat operations in the subarctic zone, where there is deep snow and extremely limited road infrastructure. Therefore, the kingdom's defense ministry is looking at K-2 Thunder tracked self-propelled guns.ConclusionAlthough the development of the Archer FH77 BW L52 began at the beginning of the century, this self-propelled gun has proven to be optimally prepared for the challenges of modern warfare. The high speed of deployment and firing reduces the chances of running into enemy counter-battery fire. This is even more important given the high saturation of the front line with various drones. And the practically civilian chassis simplifies its operation and maintenance.If earlier the main task of artillery was considered to be the systematic "processing" of the enemy front line square by square, now the main task of this type of troops is the surgically accurate destruction of enemy equipment and important objects such as ammunition depots with a quick retreat. And the Swedish development was also appropriate here .The transfer of the new batch shows that the partnership between Kyiv and Stockholm continues to strengthen. The former receives enhanced capabilities of the "long arm" Defense Forces, while the latter receives additional advertising and feedback from the military. This will contribute to the machine's attractiveness on the export market and pave the way for future improvements.

Fast and deadly. How the Swedish Archer reinforced the artillery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

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