Swedish Archer howitzers for Ukraine
Sweden announced another delivery of military aid to Ukraine. Among the declared equipment, there is also one of exceptional importance – the Archer self-propelled howitzers.
The ongoing war in Ukraine is largely a conflict based on the massive use of artillery. Such a conclusion is shared by, for example, General Vadym Skibicki, who is the deputy head of the Ukrainian intelligence services. In June last year, he even used the term “artillery war.” Both sides use artillery on a large scale, including self-propelled artillery – this is especially valuable – and towed artillery. No wonder that for the Ukrainians, deliveries of this type of equipment – which can hit the enemy from a long distance – are particularly valuable.
What is Archer?
The Archer, which the Ukrainians counted on earlier, but was not included in the deliveries from Sweden, is a product of BAE Systems Bofors, a Swedish company belonging to BAE Systems Weapon Systems (Bofors may bring readers to mind – quite rightly – the armament of the Army Polish from the interwar period, i.e. anti-tank gun wz. 36 cal. 37 m). The Archer is a howitzer (a gun capable of primarily sweeping fire) caliber FH 77 (Fälthaubits) BW L52 mounted on a wheeled platform. Various variants of this cannon (in the towed version) were used in Sweden, Nigeria and India. Sam Archer was born conceptually in the nineties. The work was completed in the following decade. Sweden ordered it in 2008.
It can be compared to such self-propelled wheeled artillery systems as the French Caesar (155 mm), the South African G6 (155 mm), the Israeli ATMOS 2000 (155 mm), the Polish Kryl, or the Czechoslovak Dana (152 mm) or Slovakian Zuzana (155 mm) ). It has been in service with the Swedish Army on the Volvo A30D wheeled platform (6×6) since 2016. It can also be integrated with the 8×8 platform (RMMV, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles ) or even 10×10 ( Oshkosh ). In mid-2022, BAE Systems Bofors received a contract for an additional Archer battalion, to be created as part of the 2021-2025 strategy. Ultimately, Sweden wants to acquire another 24 vehicles on the RMMV HX2 (8×8) chassis.
There is a possibility that Archer will also be equipped with other countries. For example, Switzerland is considering it, which considers two vehicles as successors to the worn, tracked M109. Archer’s competitor in the Swiss project is German (Krauss- Maffei Wegmann ) RCH 155 AGM on 8×8 chassis ( Boxer or Piranha ). The United States has also become interested in the Archer, which is looking for vehicles of this class to be used alongside the Stryker wheeled vehicles . It is worth mentioning that Norway originally participated in the program, which ordered 24 vehicles, but it was finally withdrawn from the program in 2013. At that time, the Norwegians chose the South Korean K9 tracked howitzers.
System characteristics
Archer has an automatic loader, which allows three to four servicemen to operate the system safely from an armored cab. The autoloader holds 21 rounds. Reloading takes 10 minutes. According to the manufacturer, the crew needs only 30 seconds to stop the vehicle, prepare it for action and to fire the first shot. Within 2 minutes, the Archer can fire six times and move 500 meters to avoid detection and destruction by the enemy. It is important that thanks to the digital, airborne fire control system, the Archer can receive information either from a forward observation post or from a mobile command center. Archer uses navigation – both GSP and INS (inertial). The declared maximum rate of fire is 8 rounds per minute. Archer has the ability to hit a specific target with several projectiles at the same time (MRSI, Multiple Round simultaneous impact ).
Although Sweden is not (at least for now) in NATO, Archer meets NATO standards. This mainly applies to the caliber, i.e. 155 mm, which is the standard caliber for Western artillery systems. It is extremely important that the Archer can fire standard 155mm ammunition, including specialist ammunition. There are two products here. The first is BONUS ammo while the second is Excalibur. BONUS has a range of about 35 km, while Excalibur just over 50 km.
Both types are precision ammunition. BONUS is equipped with two sub -projectiles that, working in infrared, detect targets within a radius of 32 km2. After their release, the sensors search for the target by analyzing the image and comparing it with the data stored in the computer. These shells are designed, among other things, to destroy tanks – they attack them from above, where the armor is thinnest. M982 Excalibur is guided to the target via satellite navigation (GPS) or a laser beam (which is useful when the GPS signal disappears or is disrupted). Thanks to this, the circular area of \u200b\u200bthe potential for point fire error is less than 2 meters. Excalibur can move along a variable trajectory and thus attack targets hidden behind some object. Importantly, the missile is universal, as it is equipped with a computer-controlled fuse with different modes: explosion on contact with the target, explosion over the target or explosion with a predetermined delay (for example, for destroying objects hidden in shelters). It is estimated that one M982 Excalibur can replace up to 20 regular 155mm rounds.
In terms of mobility, it is worth noting that the vehicle can be transported by the C-17 Globemaster aircraft and – albeit with difficulty and after appropriate modifications – on board the smaller C-130 Hercules . It should also be remembered that high mobility means good traction conditions on the roads (up to 90 km/h), but off-road the Archer – as well as other vehicles of this type – cope worse (after all, we are talking about cars with a curb weight of 34 tons). Nevertheless, the manufacturer states that the vehicle can move efficiently in snow up to a meter high. Archer’s dimensions are 3 m wide, 3.4 m high and 14.1 m long. The barrel has an operating range from -1 ° to 70 ° vertically and 85 ° horizontally in both directions.
Although the artillery – including the Archer system – operate away from the front lines, contact with the enemy can happen. In such a situation, the self-defense vehicle uses a machine gun embedded in a remotely controlled Protector module by Kongsberg (Norway). In exceptional situations, Archer can fire direct fire at targets.
The advantage of systems such as Archer is their mobility. On the modern battlefield, this is of great importance both in the offensive and defensive aspects. As for the former, the advantage is obvious – Archer can quickly move into the zone of action and start firing – he is able to fire a salvo of three rounds in 15 seconds or fire a full supply of ammunition in 2.5 minutes. The defensive advantage means that mobility makes it easier for him to avoid so-called counter- battery fire .
Archer does not move alone, but in a group of a total of three carts. One of them is a howitzer, while the others are an ammo cart and a support vehicle. During combat operations, the howitzer operates closest to the enemy, while the other vehicles – if possible – remain in a safe place.
What’s next?
While the Archery is a very useful weapon – especially when used with precision ammo – there are two issues that may limit your enthusiasm. The first is access to ammunition, even traditional (without guidance). Just handing over the Archers will do little if Ukraine does not constantly receive ammunition. According to The Kyiv Post daily, in 2021, Ukrainians fired 6-7,000 artillery shells in Donbass every day, while Russians fired 40-50,000. At the end of 2022, according to NBC News, the Russians used 20,000 artillery shells, while the Russians used up to 7,000 a day.
Secondly, Ukraine cannot count on too many Archers. It is not yet known exactly how many vehicles will go to Ukraine. Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said the government had asked the military to determine how many vehicles could be donated. Sweden currently has 48 cars in stock. Deliveries lasted in the years 2013-2022 (initially prototypes – the first serial cars were handed over in 2015). The press speculates that the Ukrainians may receive 12 vehicles that Ukraine – at least according to Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström – “unequivocally asked for”.
