Artillery
Archer FH77 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer for Ukraine
Sweden confirms that it will ship them to Ukraine — will it make a difference?
The announcement
On 19 January 2023, the Swedish government announced that it had instructed the Swedish armed forces to begin preparations for the delivery of an unspecified number of Archer artillery systems to the Ukrainian armed forces. (SVT Nyheter)
Sweden has moved a long way from its position of neutrality during the Second World War. It was so neutral that it supplied iron ore to Nazi Germany and Bofors guns to Great Britain.
Now Sweden has applied to join NATO (along with Finland) having had to face 21st Century geopolitical reality by Putin’s European adventurism and dreams of a new Russian empire.
Sweden is now firmly behind Ukraine, and has committed to the supply of advanced weaponry, including the Archer FH77 155mm artillery system.
So, what is the Archer?
It’s a very serious artillery system and arguably much more capable than the French CAESAR many of which are already deployed in Ukraine and were proven in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Archer FH77 BW L52 is a self-propelled artillery system developed by BAE Systems Bofors in Sweden. It is a highly mobile artillery piece capable of firing a wide range of ammunition types, including high explosive, smoke, and illumination rounds, with an automatic loading systems so the crew can remain in the cab.
Technical Specifications
The system is mounted on a six-wheeled Volvo A30D articulated hauler, which provides exceptional mobility on and off-road. That’s why it looks like a logging truck (an 8x8 variant is in development, HX2).
The Archer FH77 has a crew of four, including a driver, gunner, and two loaders. The system can be rapidly deployed and can begin firing within a maximum of two minutes of arriving at its destination (depending om ground conditions), but as quickly as 30 seconds.
The artillery
The Archer FH77 also has a high rate of fire, with a sustained rate of six rounds per minute and a maximum rate of 14 rounds per minute and a maximum firing range of up to 40 kilometers.
The howitzer has a continuous fire rate of 75 rounds per hour and an intensive fire rate of 20 rounds (i.e., a full magazine) in 2.5 minutes.
That’s quite intensive, and the system is reported to have a barrel life of 4,000 shells.
The Uniflex 2IM modular charge system consists of two sizes of combustible charge cases; one full-size and one half-size case. The modular charge system allows several increments of charge to be available and increases the system’s multiple rounds simultaneous impact (MRSI) capability and good range overlap between the increments.
The MRSI capability, multiple round simultaneous impact, is up to 6 rounds.
It is capable of firing a range of ammunition types, including the Excalibur guided gliding projectile (50 km range), which makes it a highly versatile system for a variety of missions.
The mobility and protection
The system can be rapidly deployed to provide support to ground troops in a variety of environments. The Archer FH77’s mobility also allows it to quickly reposition and avoid detection, making it an effective tool for counter-battery fire: ‘Shoot and scoot’.
The system is designed for high strategic, operational and tactical mobility. The vehicle can reach road speeds of up to 90 kilometres per hour, is capable of traversing snow up to a depth of one metre, is rail transportable and can be air-transported in Lockheed C-17 or Airbus A400M aircraft.
It has emergency driving on all wheels which makes it possible to drive with all tyres punctured; it also provides greater protection if the vehicle hits a blast-pressure mine (6kg protection level). The crew has full NBC protection and the cab and engine armour is only 7.62 mm armour-piercing resistant, so they don’t loiter long…
The unit can also be fitted with an optional Advanced Multispectral Camouflage System.
It is accompanied by a re-supply vehicle with a 25 ton replenishment load.
Accuracy
Another key advantage of the Archer FH77 is its high level of accuracy. The system’s advanced targeting technology allows it to accurately locate and engage targets at long ranges with a computerised FCS with Sigma 30 navigation and pointing system.
Direct-sighting can be used for target ranges up to 2,000 metres using a laser rangefinder and other sensors to compute firing solutions.
Here’s a fascinating video, originally from BAE/Bofors which includes the replenishment process.
Will it make a difference?
It’s hard to tell, but we’ve seen the effect that shoot and scoot has had with the HIMARS. The analysis is not yet in for CAESAR’s performance in Ukraine. And there are others, although the British 39-calibre AS-90 is not at the leading edge with its shorter range.
What’s for sure is that every piece helps.
And the fact that Sweden is sending the Archer is a statement in itself.
But they need to build more — there is no end in sight for this war.
References
- BAE Systems Bofors website: https://www.baesystems.com/en/product/archer-fh77
- Global Security website: https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/archer.htm
- Defense Industry Daily website: https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/archer-artillery-system-06138/
- Army Technology website: https://www.army-technology.com/projects/archer-self-propelled-howitzer/
- Federation of American Scientists website: https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m109.htm
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archer_Artillery_System
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/bjbmna2uzsY
- Military Today: https://www.military-today.com/artillery/fh_77.htm
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