The Swedish Government has announced its decision to buy 18 new ARCHER wheeled self-propelled howitzers from BAE Systems as part of its 18th support package to Ukraine. The news was recently announced by Swedish Minister for Defence, Dr. Pål Jonson, in conjunction with a visit to the BAE Systems Bofors site in Karlskoga, Sweden. The ARCHERs are part of an artillery package, with five additional artillery location radar systems and funding, worth approximately $300 million. In the weeks leading up to this announcement, BAE Systems’ Tridon Mk2 Ground-Based Air Defence System was presented as another part of this latest support package.
“We are pleased to continue to provide the Swedish Government with the most advanced wheeled howitzers to complete their mission,” said Lena Gillström, president of BAE Systems Bofors. “The ARCHER is one of the most sought after and trusted artillery systems in the world, and its proven performance on the battlefield cements this.”
The Archer artillery system, or Archer – FH77BW L52, 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 mounted on a modified 6×6 chassis of the Volvo A30D all-terrain articulated hauler. The crew and engine compartment is armoured and the cab is fitted with bullet and fragmentation-resistant windows. The system also includes an ammunition resupply vehicle, a support vehicle, Bonus submunitions, and M982 Excalibur guided projectiles. mIts superior attack range and exceptional maneuverability makes it ideal for counter-battery fire.
In January 2024 a Ukrainian documentary crew from United24 observed the FH77BW Archer howitzer firing during combat missions. In March 2024 a reconnaissance unit of the Ukrainian 63rd Mechanized Brigade detected multiple Russian D-20 howitzers near the city of Kreminna. The coordinates of the Russian howitzers was then passed on to the Ukrainian 45th Artillery Brigade which performed counter-battery fire using an Archer artillery system, with drone footage showing the destruction of three D-20 howitzers. In May 2024, the Ukrainian 45th Artillery Brigade used the Archer system in combat during operations in the Luhansk region. The brigade’s artillerymen, operating an FH77BW Archer howitzer successfully destroyed a Russian 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled artillery system near the village of Chervonopopivka.
