British Army’s Archer hits bullseye for capability and procurement
Archer self-propelled artillery is fired by troops from 19th Regiment Royal Artillery, during a live fire during Exercise Dynamic Front, Finland. (Photo: UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
The Archer artillery system was rushed into service and training of British Army trainers began in October 2023 before live fire trials just over a year later.
Last month’s first live-fire exercise of the British Army’s Archer artillery system can be seen as a substantial success on several levels even if it occurred under exceptional circumstances as opposed to regular procurement and training.
The system is the army’s new self-propelled long-range fires platform. Rapidly procured to temporarily fill the capability gap created by the donation of the AS90 155mm gun to Ukraine, the first 14 systems are now in service.
Built by BAE Systems Bofors AB, the Swedish subsidiary of BAE Systems, Archer is a 155mm automatic self-propelled artillery system and in British Army service the gun
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