Archer Artillery System

The project began in 1995 as earlier studies for a self-propelled system based on the existing FH 77 howitzer. Further test systems received the designation FH 77BD and FH 77BW. By 2004, two prototypes had been ordered based on a lengthened version of the FH 77B mounted on a modified Volvo Construction Equipment A30D six-wheel drive articulated haul truck. In 2008, Sweden ordered a first batch of seven units, while Norway ordered one.[5][6] In August 2009, Norway and Sweden ordered 24 Archers each, in a cooperative deal.[7]

The howitzer was developed for the Swedish Armed Forces following a contract awarded to Bofors (now BAE Systems Bofors) in 2003 by Försvarets Materielverk (FMV), the Swedish defence acquisition agency to build two demonstrator howitzers. The prototype FH77 BW L52 self-propelled howitzers entered firing trials in Sweden in 2005 and 2006. In September 2006, the FMV placed a contract for detailed design work on Archer and, in January 2007, a contract for the next development phase. The Swedish Army had a requirement for 24 systems (two battalions). In September 2008, the Swedish government approved the final development and procurement of the Archer artillery system.

In November 2008, Sweden and Norway signed a co-operative agreement for the development of the Archer system and, in January 2009, awarded BAE Systems a contract to complete development of the artillery system with the exception of the remote weapon system which is made by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. A final prototype was scheduled for completion by September 2009, which was expected to be followed by a contract for 48 systems – 24 for Sweden and 24 for Norway. Archer was planned to enter service in 2011 but was delayed until October 2013. This was because of unforeseen technical problems.[8]

The Swedish Army received its first four pre-serial production FH-77 BW L52 Archer systems on 23 September 2013,[9][10] and the first guns finally entered service on 1 February 2016.[11]

The Norwegian government withdrew from the project in December 2013.[12]

In 2019, a new configuration of the Archer, with the howitzer mounted on a Rheinmetall MAN HX2 8×8 tactical truck, was revealed. Sweden had ordered a number of HX2 trucks in 2014, with deliveries commencing in 2017.[13] On January 23, 2020, Janes Information Services reported that BAE Systems Bofors had begun trials for the HX2 variant.[14]

The vehicle platform is a modification of the Volvo A30D 6×6 articulated all-terrain hauler vehicle. Operators control the entire gun system in any weather from the safety of the armored vehicle cabin which is fitted with bullet and fragmentation-proof windows. The cabin seats up to four personnel. The howitzer is operated by three or four crew but can be run by a single operator.[15] The system also includes a munition carrier consisting of a removable, modified standard container mounted on a ballistic-proofed all-terrain lorry. The unit cost is approximately $4,500,000.

Another view of a deployed Archer

The vehicle carries 21 155 mm projectiles in a fully automatic magazine.[15] Reloading the magazine from the accompanying munitions carrier takes about 10 minutes using the purpose-built lifting device. The howitzer can use NATO modular charges or Bofors Uniflex 2 modular charges. The Uniflex 2IM modular charge system consists of two sizes of combustible charge cases; one full-size and one half-size case, both filled with the same type of insensitive guanylurea dinitramide (GuDN) propellant. The modular charge system allows several increments of charge to be available and increases the system's multiple rounds simultaneous impact (MRSI) capability and good range overlap between the increments. With BAE Bofors/Nexter Bonus rounds the range is 35 kilometres (22 mi). Due to the glide wings of the precision-guided Raytheon/Bofors M982 Excalibur rounds, the range of the gun is extended to more than 50 kilometres (31 mi).[15] The Excalibur shell is corrected in flight towards a pre-programmed trajectory by a GPS guidance system. For armoured vehicles, the Bofors 155 Bonus is used.

The system is designed for high strategic, operational and tactical mobility. The vehicle can reach road speeds of up to 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph), is capable of traversing snow up to a depth of one metre (3.3 ft), is rail transportable and can be air-transported in Boeing C-17 Globemaster III or Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft.[15] A large hydraulically operated stabilizer is installed in the rear of the chassis and is lowered with the vehicle in the selected firing position. The gun elevation and traverse ranges are -1° to +70° vertically and −85° to +85° horizontally. The initial deployment time and the redeployment times are less than 30 seconds.[15] The system provides precision strike and high sustained firepower for support and for deep firing operations with more than 25 t of ammunition per gun and 24-hour operation. The howitzer has a continuous fire rate of 75 rounds per hour, an intensive fire rate of 20 rounds (i.e., a full magazine) in 2.5 minutes[15] (effective rate, 480 rounds per hour), and a salvo fire rate of three rounds in 15 seconds (effective rate, 720 rounds per hour). The MRSI capability, multiple round simultaneous impact, is up to 6 rounds. Direct-sighting can be used for target ranges up to 2,000 metres (2,200 yd).

Side view of an Archer

• Length: 14.1 meters
• Width: 3.0 meters
• Height: 3.3 meters without the Protector mounted, 3.9 meters with.
• Weight: 30 metric tons (30 Mg)
• Speed: 65 km/h
• Range: 500 km
• Crew: 3-4 (commander, driver, 1-2 operators) but in case of emergencies a driver and a gunner can operate the vehicle.
• Armament: 155-mm/L52 gun howitzer, Kongsberg Protector remote weapon system.
• Rate of fire: 8–9 rounds/min in Multiple round simultaneous impact-mode, which means that several shells are fired in succession with different trajectories so they hit the target simultaneously.
• Weapon range (main gun): 30 km with standard shells, 40 km with base bleed, in excess of 50 km with M982 Excalibur
• Protection level of armour: 7.62 mm armour-piercing rounds, mines up to 6 kg (Level 2 STANAG 4569)
• Emergency driving: all wheels – emergency driving equipment (Hutchinson AMVFI) makes it possible to drive with all wheels punctured; it also provides greater protection if the vehicle hits a blast-pressure mine; the same system is used on the Finnish APC Pasi.

• ATMOS 2000 – Israeli 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
• A-222E Bereg-E 130mm coastal mobile artillery system – Russian self-propelled
• 2S22 Bohdana – Ukrainian 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
• CAESAR self-propelled howitzer – French 155 mm artillery
• 152 mm SpGH DANA – Czechoslovak self-propelled howitzer
• G6 Rhino – South African 155 mm self-propelled artilleryPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• AHS Kryl – Polish 155 mm self-propelled wheeled gun-howitzer
• Nora B-52 – Serbian 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
• PCL-09 – Chinese 122 mm self-propelled howitzer
• PCL-161 – Chinese 122 mm self-propelled howitzer
• PCL-181 – Chinese 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
• PLL-09 – Chinese wheeled armoured fighting vehicle family
• Type 19 155 mm Wheeled Self-propelled Howitzer – Japanese artillery
• 155 mm SpGH Zuzana – Slovak self-propelled gun-howitzer

Wikimedia Commons has media related to ARCHER Artillery System.

• Swedish Defence Materiel Administration: ARCHER – Artillery system
• (in Swedish) Swedish Artillery Regiment
• BAE Systems in Sweden
• A unique Forestry carrier conversion Article in mil.se

Video links

• BAE Systems promotional video of Archer Artillery System on YouTube