Deadly Swedish Archer Artillery Headed to Ukraine

Russian soldiers fear the Archer, and for good reason. In my professional opinion, the Swedish Archer is the best self-propelled artillery on the planet right now.

A Swedish Armed Forces highly mobile Archer Artillery System fires a round at a demonstration for US Soldiers and Airmen on Nov. 15, 2021, at Camp Atterbury, IN. (US Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Myhr) Public domain

As far as military technology goes, I can definitively tell you that Sweden is developing weapon systems that would make Germany, the US, and South Korea envious.

Stockholm just greenlit a hefty $295 million military aid package that includes 18 (more) Archer self-propelled howitzers and five Arthur counter-battery radars.

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson, in a statement that essentially translates to “We see you, Russia,” made it clear that artillery remains Ukraine’s top battlefield priority. And for good reason — artillery has been the backbone of Ukraine’s defense strategy since day one of the full-scale invasion.

This isn’t Sweden’s first rodeo with Ukraine’s military aid.

Kyiv has already received eight Archer systems and an Arthur radar in collaboration with the UK.

But this new batch? It cranks Ukraine’s firepower up another notch, with deliveries set to start in 2025 for the radars and 2026 for the howitzers.

Man, it seems like I’ve been talking a lot about artillery lately — but besides FPV drones… artillery and air defense have surfaced as the two most important capabilities in modern war.

Funnily enough, these are the capabilities that the United States let atrophy during the 20-year Global War on Terror.

But while artillery has proven to be the king of battle in Ukraine, one type, in particular, has “taken the taco” — so to speak.

I’m talking about self-propelled artillery — the kind that can “shoot and scoot” to avoid counterbattery fire quickly.

So, what the heck is the Archer?

Well, if battlefield artillery had an elite club, Sweden’s Archer 155mm self-propelled howitzer would be sitting in the VIP section. Seriously, we’re talking about the gold standard in self-propelled artillery here.

Designed by BAE Systems Bofors, this machine is built for speed, precision, and survivability — three things Ukraine desperately needs in its ongoing artillery war with…