BAE Systems signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) worth approximately $500 million for 48 new ARCHER artillery systems for the Swedish Army. The ARCHER mobile artillery system, designed and produced by BAE Systems Bofors in Sweden, is already in service in the Swedish Army and has achieved the highest technical and manufacturing readiness levels. The 48 new systems covered by this contract will be built on a Rheinmetall MAN military vehicle, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) HX2 8×8, and first delivery to the Swedish Army will be in 2025.
“This important milestone establishes ARCHER as the basis of the Swedish Army’s new divisional artillery forces. It is also critical to BAE Systems Bofors’ work in jointly developing the ARCHER with Sweden, to confirm it as the most advanced wheeled 155mm howitzer in operation today,” said Lena Gillström, president of BAE Systems Bofors.
The Archer Artillery System or Artillerisystem 08, is a Swedish self-propelled howitzer system. The main piece of the system is a fully automated 155 mm L52 (52-calibre-long) gun-howitzer and a M151 Protector remote-controlled weapon station. ARCHER can fire the BONUS anti-armor munition up to 35km, conventional munitions up to 40km, and the precision-guided munition Excalibur in excess of 50km. The automated magazines can hold a mix of different ammunition types and modular charges needed to support any mission. . 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.
The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration signed a letter of intent to purchase 24 Archer systems in June 2022. Its intention was to equip a third artillery battalion by 2025. In September 2023 a contract for 48 Archer systems was signed, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2025. The cost for 48 artillery systems is $500 million. In addition to the Swedish Army, the United Kingdom has selected the ARCHER for its interim artillery requirement. Sweden has also donated ARCHER to Ukraine, and the system has been down-selected in Switzerland’s procurement of new artillery.
