In the "zoo" of Ukrainian self-propelled artillery, consisting of samples left over from the Soviet Army, delivered from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Norway, Latvia, Belgium, there may be replenishment from Swedish-made equipment.
Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde said on her Twitter account that the issue of transferring wheeled self-propelled guns Archer ("Archer") to the formations of Ukraine is currently being considered.
In the land forces of the armed forces of this Scandinavian state, only 27 such machines are operated. Interestingly, there is no other artillery, except 81-mm and 120-mm mortars, including those mounted on the chassis of Strf 90 infantry fighting vehicles, now. The previously operated towed 155 mm FH77 howitzers were withdrawn from service eleven years ago.
As for the "Archers", looking at them, one remembers the famous three-axle (6x6) heavy-duty articulated dump trucks Volvo A30D. However, the cabin, where three crew members are accommodated, received bulletproof protection, and behind it is mounted not a cargo platform, but an uninhabited module with a long-barreled 155-mm gun with an automatic loader, which contains 21 shells.
The rate of fire reaches eight rounds per minute. The maximum firing range of conventional high-explosive fragmentation ammunition is 30,000 meters, active-reactive - 40,000 meters, American guided M982 Excalibur, made partly of titanium and having a gas generator, is 60,000 meters.
The fire control system provides high accuracy of application, has an onboard ballistic computer and satellite navigation. A 12.7 mm machine gun with remote control is mounted on the roof.
The maximum speed on the highway is 70 km/h. The power reserve on the highway is 500 km . Combat weight - 30,000 kg.
Swedish sources traditionally praise these self-propelled guns, calling them one of the most perfect. In fact, during their development and bringing to mass production, numerous problems and design defects were noted. Apparently, there were a lot of them, since the Norwegian army broke the contract concluded in 2009 for the supply of 24 vehicles.
Therefore, it is possible that the Swedes will float the installations of the very first releases to Ukraine, which just had various "childhood diseases".
Currently, the Kiev regime troops are using 152-mm Czech wheeled howitzers - guns vz.77 "Dana" (8x8), their more advanced later versions of the 155-mm Zuzana-2 of Slovak production and French 155-mm CAESAR.
The Swedish military industry is known for developing equipment of unusual design. For example, you can recall the unusual Bandkanon 1A self-propelled artillery system created in the 60s, the basis for which was the famous original crazy Stridsvagn 103, known as the "S-tank".
It also had one 240 hp diesel engine, followed by 290 hp and a 300 hp gas turbine. However, the characteristics of this dual power unit were not enough, since the combat weight reached a record at that time 53,000 kg. As a result, the ACS could barely accelerate to 28 km/h on the highway. The power reserve did not exceed 230 km.
Loading was fully automatic - only fourteen 45-kilogram high-explosive shells could fit into the magazine. All available ammunition, if necessary, could be released in 48 seconds. The initial velocity of the projectile is 865 m/s. The firing range is 25600 m. The crew is 5 people. A total of 26 pieces were made. They were in service from 1966 to 2003.
Alexey Brusilov, Alexey Moiseev