Ukrainian Armed Forces demonstrate the world’s most advanced 155 mm Archer self-propelled gun for the first time after delivery (video)
The Armed Forces of Ukraine already use the most advanced 155-mm artillery system in the world, the Swedish Archer wheeled self-propelled artillery system.
The video was released by the Land Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the occasion of the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery of Ukraine. This is the first public demonstration of Archer in Ukraine.
The video also shows which brigade received the equipment – the 45th separate artillery brigade, as the flag with the symbols of this unit directly indicates.
It is important to note that the Archer systems were once the subject of quite a long discussion about their transfer from Sweden, as they were first discussed publicly in August 2022. It was only in March of this year that the Swedish government officially announced the transfer of eight units.
At the end of May, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry officially announced that the Archer UAVs and their trained crews were to arrive in Ukraine this summer. But since then, nothing has been heard about this system. But obviously, this did not prevent Ukrainian soldiers from actively using this system to strike the enemy without additional announcements.
It should be reminded that Archer is rightly considered one of the most revolutionary art systems. Fully automated fire at a range of up to 50-60 km, ultra-high rate of fire of 21 rounds in 3.5 minutes thanks to the automatic loading system, rapid deployment and withdrawal from the position before the first rounds explode at the enemy position.
But we have to keep in mind that there are two sides to every coin. Behind the high rate of fire lies the dependence on the malfunctioning of the automatic loading device and the 21-shot ammunition capacity, which makes it impossible to fire from the ground. But if you understand that Archer is a specialized self-propelled gun for counter-battery combat, not a methodical bombardment of the enemy from a stationary position, then everything falls into place.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have a great opportunity to evaluate the Archer concept in real combat conditions, and this is a unique experience, as this system has never been used in war before.
