Sweden to give Ukraine eight Archer self-propelled artillery mounts
Stockholm will also send our state 10 Leopard 2 tanks, 50 armored fighting vehicles, air defense systems and anti-tank weapons.
The Swedish government is ready to transfer eight Archer self-propelled artillery mounts and 10 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
According to Dagens Industri, this is stated in the amendments to the budget, which the Swedish government presented today to the country’s parliament.
“Archer self-propelled guns will give Ukrainians the ability to destroy Russian artillery systems,” Defense Minister Paul Jonson said.
A total of eight self-propelled guns and 10 tanks are estimated at just over six billion crowns. This is the money that the Armed Forces should receive during 2024-2026 to replace this equipment.
Archer is a self-propelled artillery mount with eight-meter cannon barrels mounted on trucks. She is able to move quickly, fire quickly, and he has great accuracy.
In terms of firing range, the Archer cannot compete with the American Himars rocket artillery system. But according to Defense Minister Jonson, the Archer is a good addition to the Himars and will be used primarily to destroy enemy artillery.
“You could say that the Archer system is a sniper rifle, not a shotgun. The uniqueness of the Archer is precisely the ability to deliver extremely deep strikes against enemy artillery,” he says.
However, it will be several months before Ukraine can start using Archer in the field. Fire control computers will be installed, Ukrainian military exercises will be conducted, and a “logistics hub” will be created near Ukraine for maintenance and repairs.
It is estimated that Ukraine will be able to use six of the eight units on the battlefield at the same time, since two need to be kept in reserve in order to be able, for example, to pick up spare parts.
In additional amendments to the budget, the government is also asking for permission to sell 14 Archer units to the UK. This agreement, according to Jonson, gave the British the opportunity to send their own AS-90 artillery system to Ukraine.
The Archer is to replace the dedicated AS-90s until the UK develops a new artillery system for the future.
Now Sweden and the UK are aiming to cooperate on a “logistics hub” for the Archer system, which will be created near Ukraine.
Sweden has 48 Archer units, of which 24 are used by the country’s armed forces. The remaining 24 are in storage.
In addition to 8 Archers and 10 Leopard 2 tanks, Sweden decided to support Ukraine with 50 armored fighting vehicles, air defense systems and anti-tank weapons.
ACS Archer for Ukraine – what is known
As UNIAN reported earlier, in January Sweden announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine. It included infantry fighting vehicles, Archer self-propelled artillery mounts and anti-tank weapons. At that time, the exact number of self-propelled guns that Stockholm would provide to Ukraine was unknown.
In February, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced when Ukraine would receive the Swedish Archer artillery mounts. Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonsson then also said that Stockholm was ready to send some of the Leopard tanks that they have in service to Ukraine. In total, the country has 120 such combat vehicles.