The event is a milestone for modernising the Army’s fire support capabilities. The U.K. will fill the gap left by the AS90 155 mm SPGs’ donation to Ukraine with 14 Swedish ARCHER SPGs. Ukraine also received the Swedish SPG in November 2023, according to Swedish news platform SVT.
Swedish SPG will serve as an interim solution until the U.K. develops a new system under the Mobile Fires Platform programme. Tracked and wheeled platform options are being evaluated in the program’s current state.
ARCHER with an L52 gun has a significantly more extended range than the older generation AS90 at 30 to 70 km, depending on the type of ammunition. For comparison, AS90, with a shorter barreled L39 gun, has a maximum range of 25 km.
The SPG can also use new types of guided ammunition such as M892 Excalibur, which provides a range of 70 km when fired from an L52 barrel or the German BONUS sensor-fused submunition shells against armoured vehicles.
Since the Russo-Ukraine war, the trend has leaned towards truck-based SPGs for mobility and lower platform costs.
