British Army completes acceptance of Archer howitzers
Image courtesy DE&S
Last year DE&S, alongside the UK Army, delivered a rapid procurement of four Archers following the UK’s commitment to granting-in-kind 32 AS90 self-propelled guns to Ukraine, bringing the number of Archers the Army now has to 14.
DE&S’ International Relations Group supported negotiations of the initial deal with Sweden, reaching an agreement in the space of just two months, demonstrating agility and DE&S’ capability to procure at pace to rapidly deliver the Army’s requirements.
The Archer is an interim replacement for the AS90s gifted to Ukraine until it is replaced by the incoming 155mm Remote Controlled Howitzer (RCH155).
The Archers were bought under a Government to Government agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and have been upgraded to a UK specification by BAE Bofors and GD Mission Systems.
Archer, which is based on the successful Bofors FH77 field howitzer, consisting of an automated 155 mm 52-calibre gun mounted on an 6x6 articulated hauler, is fully automated, self-propelled and designed for rapid deployment, with a firing range in excess of 50 km.
Loading, laying and firing is handled from inside the armoured cabin, offering full protection at all times. With less than 20 seconds in and out of action for a crew of three or four, the Archer artillery system provides powerful and swift support.
The British Army has been in Sweden in recent months to take part in live firing tests of Archer and now non-firing training and testing has begun in the UK.
Colonel Stu Nassé, Assistant Head Military Capability Delivery in the Army HQ said: “This acceptance marks the completion of the initial acquisition of the 14 Archers and is a significant milestone. The essential – but challenging – work to turn this into a full capability continues at pace with proactive collaboration between the Royal Artillery, Army HQ and DE&S. Archer is an exciting project to be a part of and will deliver a world-class capability in record time.”
Mark Bunyan, FIMS Team Leader at DE&S, said: “Striking the balance between power and mobility by featuring long range precision, fast deployment time and a protected environment for the crew, the Archer provides the British Army with a highly capable artillery system to ensure we minimise any capability gap between gifting our AS90s and acquiring our long-term Boxer-based artillery solution.”
Colonel Stephan Sjöberg, Artillery Inspector of the Swedish Armed Forces said: “The UK and Sweden are working together with Archer regarding support and best use of the system. In addition, there are ongoing preparations for further activities together, such as the Exercise Dynamic Front in Finland.”
