Sweden considers providing Ukraine with Archer howitzers

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Lind said the Swedish government was considering supplying Ukraine with 155mm Archer self-propelled howitzers, RBS-70 MANPADS, and other military equipment.

According to Caliber.Az, the information was disseminated by the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade with reference to Lind's Twitter page.

It is noted that after the outbreak of war in Ukraine Sweden had already supplied 10,000 AT4 hand grenade launchers, 5,000 M90 helmets, 5,000 body armor, 135,000 field rations, an unknown number of Robot 17 missiles, and Barrett M82 rifles with ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced a new $46.75 million military aid package to Ukraine during a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on August 29.

The Archer is a fully automated system on a Volvo A30D chassis. It is designed to provide fire support for ground forces operations. The howitzer is controlled from an armoured cabin. The system is capable of firing its first shot 20 seconds after stopping. The Archer can exit the position within 20 seconds after completing its firing mission. The maximum speed is 70 km/h on the road, a range of 500 km. The howitzer can fire BONUS anti-tank ammunition to a range of 35 km, conventional ammunition to a range of 40 km, and Excalibur precision-guided ammunition to a range of 60 km.