Ukrainian artillerymen can count on a new armament reinforcement from Sweden. Swedish Minister for Defense Pål Jonson announced the allocation of the 18th aid package for Ukraine, with a total value of $300 million. It includes 18 Archer self-propelled guns and 5 Arthur counter-battery radars.
Archer howitzers are already familiar to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, the transfer of the first batch of 8 units was announced in March 2023, and in November these self-propelled artillery guns were already destroying russians. In other words, the time from the announcement to the actual deployment was minimal and included training of Ukrainian artillerymen.
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However, this time the wait may be slightly longer. According to Pål Jonson, these systems will be purchased, while the first batch was transferred from those already in storage.
At the same time, the production timeline for new self-propelled howitzers can be studied using the example of the contract signed in September 2023 by the Swedish government for the production of BAE Systems Bofors 48 Archer systems, worth $500 million (approximately $10.4 million per unit), for its own armed forces. The delivery date of the first howitzer was announced for 2025, without any deadlines.
However, the completion date may be suggested by the contract between BAE Systems Bofors and Rheinmetall MAN Military, signed in May 2024, for the supply of 48 HX trucks worth €71 million, which will serve as the chassis for these Archer self-propelled guns. Deliveries were scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2024 and continue until the end of 2027. It should be noted that this German chassis was chosen to replace the Volvo A30D 6×6.
Thus, the total execution time for the contract to produce 48 Archer BAE Systems Bofors units is expected to be approximately the same, to which should be added the time for combining the artillery module with the chassis and testing the system.
This means that the average conditional delivery rate from the moment of contract to the receipt of the last order for the Swedish Armed Forces is one howitzer in 30-35 days. So, everything depends on the production capacity of BAE Systems Bofors and its rate of increase, as well as the scenario in which Ukraine receives new Archer howitzers by moving forward with the contract for its armed forces. Anyway, 18 Archer guns, based on current production capabilities, will take more than a year to complete, even with the use of existing components.
It should be noted that the Swedish Archer is a representative of the latest fully automated wheeled self-propelled guns in the 155 mm caliber, featuring a 52-caliber barrel, which provides a range of 30-50 km. Due to the automatic loading system, this artillery gun can fire its entire ammunition of 21 shells in 3.5 minutes. Additionally, it can fire its first shot just 14 seconds after stopping, make a series of three shots, and retreat before the first shell hits the enemy. All this with a crew of 3-4 people.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that Volkswagen wanted to produce weapons and was actually halfway there.
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