Ukraine lags behind Russia in numbers – Russia has a lot more weapons and people. Even with Western support, this will not change in the near future. Therefore, Ukraine needs to overcome its enemy with quality – the kind offered by the Swedish Archer Artillery System, which demonstrates sniper accuracy and cavalry speed.
Ukrainian TSN journalist Andrii Tsaplienko had the opportunity to see how the Swedish self-propelled howitzer Archer, considered to be the best weapon in its class, performs in Ukraine.
The Archer artillery system is incredibly fast and works well in counter-battery operations. Image credit: Ibaril via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
“It starts up quickly, takes up to 30 seconds. We also quickly organise ourselves and leave the shooting site,” said Yevgenii, a soldier of the 45th Separate Mechanised Brigade, who serves in the Archer crew.
The Archer is actually a very fast self-propelled howitzer. The whole machine weighs about 38 tonnes and still reaches 90 km/h on the road. Its 6×6 chassis is decently competent off-road too. Upon arriving at the firing site, the Archer howitzer gets ready in just 20-30 seconds. If there is a need, it can fire up to 3 shots in just 20 seconds. After another 20 seconds, Archer leaves the area. It is a 155mm howitzer that can fire smart rounds such as the Excalibur, so its accuracy is incredible. The automatic loader not only allows such a quick rate of fire, but also reduces the size of the crew to just 3 soldiers.
The biggest advantage of Archer is its ability to quickly respond to Russian artillery strikes. The Archer can quickly arrive at the battle, deliver accurate counter-battery strikes, and leave before the Russians can even begin to look for the howitzer.
“The enemy has no such thing. This is one of the most advanced weapons that the Allies have provided to Ukraine. Archer can quickly fire several projectiles on different trajectories so that they hit the same target at the same time,” said Tsaplienko.
Of course, not everything is so nice and beautiful. The problem is that the Archer is not a mass-produced weapon. The Swedish defence industry produced only about fifty of these howitzers, eight of which were generously given to Ukraine. Eight howitzers is not many when the frontline is so long.
But when needed the Archer is very appreciated. It has a massive armoured cab – the crew doesn’t even have to leave it for shooting. There are several shells in the automatic loader – like rounds in a rifle. The Archer howitzer for the defenders of Ukraine is just like a giant sniper rifle. The howitzer visited by Tsaplienko had already destroyed a Russian BMP, a main battle tank and a mortar.
It would be nice if Ukraine could have more Archer howitzers. Europe in general needs to find ways to ramp up the production of arms and ammunition very quickly.
Written by Povilas M.