The British Army has just struck a new artillery deal with Sweden, which will see it replace the AS90s gifted to Ukraine with new 'Archer' heavy artillery guns.
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Archer Artillery System |
The Army will own the first 14 Archer artillery systems this month, which will be fully operational by April 2024.
Armed with an automatic loading 155mm howitzer, the system – currently being used by the Swedish army – can be deployed, fire and move off at speed, making it difficult for enemy forces to detect its location after it fires.
With a range of 50km, when loaded with Excalibur guided extended-range artillery projectiles, and the ability to fire three high-powered rounds within 40 seconds, the Archer can demonstrate its effectiveness with its superior mobility, deployment speed, firepower, and its three-person crew protection – although it can be operated by one person if required.
During testing, footage showed the system could be ready to fire within 14 seconds, fire one round after 23 seconds, launch its second round at 32 seconds and fire its third round after 40 seconds.
