The FH77BW L52 Archer, also known as Artillerisystem 08, is one of the best self-propelled howitzers,
or SPH.
It has many fascinating superior features.
However, this SPH has not been successful in the international market.
As the Weapon Detective, we are investigating the Archer, a brilliant artillery system with
poor international market performance.
Please don't forget to subscribe to our channel before we start.
To be notified of our new video, please click the bell button.
Also, you can now click the join button to support our channel.
And as always, we would greatly appreciate all the likes, comments, and shares.
The Archer is the name of an artillery system, not just an SPH.
Of course, we will review the complete system.
But, we will focus on the SPH.
Many experts acknowledge that the Archer is among the best in its class.
Lots of countries have expressed their interest in this SPH.
So, why is Sweden its only user?
Before seeking an answer to this question, let's briefly look at the history and features
of the Archer.
In the late 1980s, the Swedish artillery had two highly prised 155mm systems, the Bandkanon
1 and FH77.
But, they also had their own shortcomings.
The Bandkanon 1 was a self-propelled gun, not an SPH, which means its barrel elevation
angle was limited, and so was its range.
The FH77 had an auxiliary power unit, which provided 8 kilometres per hour speed and assisted
in the setting up, gun laying, and loading functions.
Still, it was just a field howitzer, not an SPH.
So, in 1989, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, Försvarets Materielverk,
or FMV, started the APS 2000 study project to determine the requirements of a new SPH,
which would overcome all the shortcomings of the existing artillery systems.
The Swedes worked on all aspects, such as rate of fire, range, ammunition, impact, etc.,
until 1992.
The FMV also evaluated the carrier vehicles, the Volvo-made all-terrain articulated haulier
and the tracked CV90 hull.
As you can predict, the winner was the former.
During this period, Bofors had already developed and tested a variant of the FH77 with a 52
calibre barrel.
But, when Sweden began the REMO Project in 1992, initiated after the APS 2000, the prototype
SPH, called FH77AD, had the original production variant of the howitzer, FH77A.
It had a 38 calibre barrel.
Bofors, which has been BAE System Bofors since 2005, was selected as the main contractor.
Between 1995 and 1998, the prototype was subjected to extensive trials.
In 1986, Bofors had developed the FH77B variant with a 39 calibre barrel for India.
Yet, when this country had cancelled the second batch of the howitzer, the company had already
manufactured 51 of them.
The later two prototypes of the Archer, called FH77BD, were fitted with these FH77Bs, acquired
by the Swedish Army, between 2002 and 2003.
In 2003, the FMV ordered two new prototypes of a lengthened version of the FH77BD.
The prototypes of the current FH77BW L52 entered firing trials in Sweden in 2005 and 2006.
The new SPH, developed for the special conditions of Scandinavia, had naturally gained the interests
of the other countries in the region during this period.
First, in 2003, Denmark joined the project, but it withdrew three years later.
In 2006, the FMV signed a contract with BAE Systems Bofors for detailed design work on
the Archer.
One year later, the next development phase was approved.
In 2008, this time, Norway became the partner of the project.
The same year, Sweden ordered the first batch of seven units, while Norway one.
The Archer was planned to enter service in 2011.
But, the unforeseen technical problems and the delay in delivering the ammunition handling
system caused a two-year delay.
Norway withdrew from the project in 2013, citing the issues experienced as an excuse.
In 2015, BAE Systems Bofors delivered the first mass-produced variants to the FMV.
The Swedish Army officially took the Archer into the service one year later.
Initially, Stockholm and Oslo intended to purchase 24 Archers each.
When Norway withdrew from the project, Sweden decided to acquire the other 24 SPHs, which
would be produced for the Norwegian Army.
Twelve of them would be used by the Swedish Army, and the other twelve would wait for
a possible export sale.
But, considering the increasing tension in the region, in 2020, Stockholm decided to
use all Archers in the Army and ordered an additional 24.
The armoured crew cabin of the Archer is resistant to small firearms and shell splinters.
This CBRN-protected cabin is positioned distant from the ground level to increase protection
against landmines, and it can withstand the explosion of a 6-kilogram TNT equivalent explosive.
It also protects the crew from adverse effects such as pressure and sound that may emerge
during the firing.
Separating the crew cabin and gun turret increases safety in case of an explosion of ammunition
and charges.
After all, the module charges and high-explosive extended range shells used in the Archer are
insensitive.
There are automatic fire extinguishing systems in the engine compartment, turret, and crew
cabin to increase survivability.
The storage module with four side drawers central to the hull can carry necessary supplies
for a-24 hour operation.
The crew can fully control the gun and turret functions without leaving the armoured cabin.
Thanks to its highly automated design, the Archer can be operated by a single person
if it is necessary.
There are also manual backups for gun-laying and feeding mechanisms.
The Archer's deployment and redeployment times are less than 30 seconds each.
It is a crucial capability against counter-battery fire.
Thanks to its automatic loading system, the SPH can fire 13 rounds every 3 seconds in
burst mode or 75 rounds per hour.
Reloading the magazine, which holds 21 ammunition, takes 8 to 10 minutes.
The munition carrier vehicle, which carries 100 rounds and consists of a folding arm crane
equipped with an ammunition gripper and a roller ramp for the charges, has a two-person
crew consisting of a driver and loader.
Reloading is typically done by both crews via the ammunition handling system.
The crew of the SPH can join this team to reduce reloading time.
In general composition, all individual FH77BW L52 SPHs are supported by a munition carrier.
The Archer can fire the Excalibur and the BONUS ammunition.
The Excalibur, jointly developed by Raytheon and BAE Systems Bofors, is a GPS- and inertial-guided
munition.
It has a range of approximately 60 kilometres with a circular error probable of 4 metres.
The BONUS, jointly developed by Nexter and BAE Systems Bofors, is an artillery cluster
munition.
It is designed for long-range, indirect fire top attack roles against armoured vehicles.
A BONUS shell can travel up to 35 kilometres.
The Archer has multiple rounds simultaneous impact capability, which means it can drop
six rounds on the same spot simultaneously.
The SPH also has direct fire capability at a range of up to 2,000 metres.
The barrel is telescopic.
While the Archer is moving, the gun is retracted inside the turret.
It is extended during the fire.
The SPH is fitted with the roof-mounted Protector remotely controlled weapons station against
close-quarter threats.
The Archer is based on the 6x6 Volvo A30E articulated haulier.
The vehicle has separate front and rear sections.
Steering is made by pivoting the front relative to the back by hydraulic rams.
The way the sections can twist in relation to each other and the way the vehicle steers,
making the back tires follow the same path as the front tires, provides excellent off-road
capabilities to the all-wheel drive vehicle.
The front and rear sections can move at large angles relative to each other, making for
a small turning radius for a wheeled vehicle.
The Archer is also fitted with independent suspensions and a central tire inflation system
to improve cross-country capability further.
The SPH has a maximum road speed of 65 kilometres per hour.
But, it is not actually a necessary or practical capability.
First, 65 kilometres per hour is high for standard military convoy speed.
And, travelling at that speed causes rapid mechanical wear and excessive fuel consumption.
The Archer can be transported by railway and the A400M.
The crew of the Archer is three to four people, consisting of a commander, a driver, and one
to two operators.
The SPH is 14.3 metres long, 3 metres wide, and 3.9 metres high.
Its combat weight is 35,000 kilograms.
The 340 horsepower Volvo D9B AC E3 diesel engine provides a maximum speed of 65 kilometres
per hour.
The range of the vehicle is 500 kilometres.
The Archer can ford to a depth of 1 metre.
The 155mm, 52 calibre gun has a range of 30,000 metres with a standard projectile and 40,000
metres with an Extended Range Full-Bore-Base Bleed projectile.
The rate of fire is between eight to nine rounds per minute.
The elevation of the gun is between -1 and 70 degrees.
The barrel can be traversed at 85 degrees on both sides.
Currently, the only user of the Archer is Sweden.
Switzerland also shortlisted the SPH for its Future Artillery System competition in June
2022.
Also, the U.S. Army tested the Archer in Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.
But, since the early 2000s, many countries have expressed interest in this SPH.
Some of them had even joined the programme.
But, until today, the marketing efforts for the Archer have been fruitless.
Many of them have chosen either the tracked SPHs or truck-mounted howitzers.
But, why?
The basic logic of the truck-mounted howitzers is to mount a howitzer on a truck rather than
tow it.
This design criterion makes it a simple and compact system.
A commercial truck offers easier maintenance and repair.
Any truck mechanic without special training can maintain and repair it.
Finding spare parts for a commercial truck with a widespread service network is easy
with low cost.
Many truck-mounted howitzers have appropriate dimensions and weight to be transported by
a medium cargo aircraft, like the C-130.
It is a disadvantage that the crew is without armour protection during firing.
But this simple design also makes truck-mounted howitzers less complex.
A truck driver and an ordinary artillery crew can operate the system after a short training.
However, the Archer's hull is the Volvo A30E.
This articulated haulier is a more complex vehicle than an ordinary commercial truck.
So, a specially trained mechanic is required to maintain and repair it.
The spare parts of an articulated haulier are more expensive and less available globally
compared with a commercial truck.
The Archer is a true giant.
It can be transported by the A400M or C-17.
Yes, its crew can fire the gun under armour protection, but also this design makes the
SPH more complex.
It increases the maintenance burden and costs.
In addition, the Archer requires a specifically trained crew.
We think that BAE System Bofors unveiled the Archer Modular, export version installed on
the 8x8 Rheinmetall RMMV HX2 truck, to overcome this problem.
As a wheeled SPH, the Archer has many advantages, in terms of unit and life cycle costs, rate
of fire, speed, fuel consumption, automation, etc., over the current tracked ones.
Its only noteworthy disadvantage is its lesser off-road mobility.
But, the differences are really insignificant except for the trench crossing capability.
Yes, an articulated haulier has better cross-country capability than a commercial truck.
And its road performance is higher than a tracked vehicle.
But also, an articulated haulier has lesser cross-country capability than a tracked vehicle.
It has a similar road performance to a commercial truck, but its costs are higher.
All these arguments are depended on the perspective.
The Soldiers are typically conservative by profession.
They need a little more time to accept an innovative and different-looking system like
the Archer.
As the Weapon Detective, our analysis is that for many countries to overcome this psychological
barrier, this SPH must first prove itself in an international tender or in combat.
After that, it would be easy so.
We think there is nothing wrong with the Archer; there is something wrong with the perspectives
of its potential buyers.
Thank you for watching our video.
And please don't forget to subscribe to our channel, and click the bell button to be notified
of our new videos.
Also, you can now click the join button to support our channel.
And as always, we would greatly appreciate all the likes, comments, and shares.