Military and Strategic Journal
Issued by the Directorate of Morale Guidance at the General Command of the Armed Forces
United Arab Emirates
Founded in August 1971

2019-10-10

ARCHER Mobile Howitzer

“Powerful Precision, Versatile Mobility”
BAE Systems unveiled its ARCHER Mobile Howitzer at DSEI 2019, a new model highly adaptable to diverse terrains and battlefield conditions with the flexibility to meet a wide range of mission requirements. ARCHER’s combination of precision, mobility and intense rate of fire makes it a key tactical asset in fast-moving combat situations.
 
ARCHER’s modular design enables integration into different truck chassis for existing vehicle fleets. This makes it a cost-effective solution offering critical battlefield capabilities. 
 
First delivered to the Swedish Armed Forces in 2013, the original ARCHER was mounted on a Volvo A30 6X6 articulated hauler. However, the ARCHER system displayed at DSEI 2019 was mounted on a Rheinmetall RMMV HX2 8x8 truck, entailing its commonality with systems already in service with the British Army. 
 
“This new international version of the ARCHER can be easily integrated onto different chassis, allowing the customer to specify the vehicle best suited to their needs,” said Ulf Einefors, Director of Marketing, and Sales at BAE Weapon Systems in Sweden. “We’re pleased to demonstrate the versatility that ARCHER could add to any allied military force.”
 
Next Generation Artillery System
The modern battlefield is characterised by a multitude of threats and challenges; hence, combat units must be able to work together effectively to improve survivability. As one of the world’s most advanced artillery systems with high mobility and precision, ARCHER represents the next generation of wheeled artillery systems built to keep up with fast-moving ground forces. 
 
Based on proven subsystems with an extensive ammunition portfolio, ARCHER combines powerful and flexible fire support with high levels of autonomous operation under protection. It is a fully automated, self-propelled 155 mm, 52-calibre howitzer developed for the fragmented battlefield, where loading, laying and firing is handled from inside the armoured cabin, offering full protection for the crew at all times. 
 
The long-range, self-propelled ARCHER also offers the safety of an armoured cabin. From the time the operators receive a call for fire, the three-person crew needs less than 20 seconds to stop the vehicle, position for action and fire the first round. 
 
Less than 20 seconds after the mission is accomplished, ARCHER is on the move again, making it the ultimate shoot-and-scoot artillery system. With a road-speed of up to 45mph or 70km/h with a manoeuvre range of 1,000 km per day, the ARCHER system has thus been developed specifically for mobility in the most difficult terrain.
 
Operators control the entire gun system from the safety of ARCHER’s armoured cabin which offers four workspaces, even though the system requires only one person for operations. A standard ARCHER team would consist of the gun commander, gun operator, and driver, while aircraft such as the C17 and A400M “Atlas” can transport the system in its entirety.
 
Next-gen Training Simulation
BAE is ensuring that operators can improve their skills by using realistic training simulators as a safe and cost-efficient way to teach the crew ARCHER operating procedures. 
 
The advanced digital classroom-training simulator guarantees that the crew are fully trained in all aspects of operation, including a simulator built into the gun system enabling on-the-job training for different combat scenarios. 
 
Protection
The crew cabin is protected against nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) threats, artillery fragmentation, mine attack and blast overpressure, while also being separated from gun and ammunition meaning that they never have to leave the cabin during combat, which further enhances survivability. 
 
The system also features a Remotely Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) mounted on top of the crew compartment, with Optional Advanced Multispectral Camouflage System enhancing protection. Its firing range is is very precise, in excess of 50 km with a rate of fire of up to nine rounds/minute and fully automated magazines carrying 21 shells and modular charges.  
 
Powerful C3 Integration
ARCHER can operate autonomously in tandem with today’s command and control systems, while on-board ballistics calculation enables autonomous operation. With automated ammunition management capability and automated electronic fuse setting (NATO standard), ARCHER also features open architecture interfaces for Battlefield Management System. 
 
Fully digitised fire missions then minimise the risk of human errors and reduce response time. Meanwhile, precision navigation is provided by easy integration of radios for voice and data communication and GPS-supported INS. 
 
Fire for Effect
ARCHER has an efficient tracking capability and an intensive rate of fire, engaging stationary and moving ground or sea targets with high precision. It carries 21 complete rounds, which can all be fired in 2.5 minutes from fully automated magazines alongside an autoloader and on-board ballistic calculation.  
 
The ARCHER artillery system’s ammunition resupply system is supported by an Ammunition Resupply Vehicle (ARV) designed to provide a complete reload of the howitzer within minutes. The modified standard ISO container carries up to 100 rounds and can be mounted on any container-carrying vehicle, then reloaded in 5 minutes with a support vehicle carrying crew supplies. 
 
The magazines handle all types of 155 mm artillery ammo, including advanced sensor-fused and precision-guided munitions. Rounds can be fired at distances up to 40km with conventional 155mm ammunition and to 60 km with precision-guided munitions, including the Excalibur.
 
M982 Excalibur: Fully qualified in multiple systems, including the M777, M109 series, M198, the Archer and PzH2000, Excalibur munition is compatible with every howitzer so far tested for it. The Excalibur is also compatible with the AS90, K9 and G6 howitzers, while plans are underway to integrate it with other mobile artillery systems.
 
With more than 1,400 rounds fired in combat to date, the Excalibur artillery projectile is the revolutionary, extended-range, precision munition for U.S. and international artillery forces. Thus, in reducing the logistical burden for artillery forces, the Excalibur projectile is a true precision weapon, impacting at a radial miss distance of less than two metres from the target. 
 
Unlike “near precision” guidance systems, the Excalibur weapon provides accurate first-round effects at all ranges in all-weather conditions. This weapon system also extends the reach of .39-caliber artillery to 40 km and of .52-caliber artillery to more than 50 km.
 
The Excalibur projectile's exceptional level of precision hence enables a dramatic reduction in the time, cost and logistical burden associated with other artillery munitions. On average, other projectiles have been shown to take at least 10 conventional munitions to accomplish what one Excalibur weapon can do.
 
Coupled with its ability to be integrated on multiple gun systems, the Excalibur projectile’s precision is of great benefit to the U.S. and its coalition partners. It provides overmatch capabilities against stationary and moving land targets in a variety of combat environments. Sweden, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands have chosen the Excalibur precision-guided projectile to address vital security interests and several other international partners are finalising procurement plans. 
 
Successfully tested in 2018 and now deployed to U.S. forces, Raytheon has developed the Excalibur Shaped Trajectory (EST) variant enabling soldiers to eliminate targets in hard-to-reach locations by selecting the projectile's terminal or final phase attack angle. The Excalibur N5 munition has been developed as a laser-guided 5-inch variant of the projectile, which incorporates a digital semi-active seeker to hit moving targets and engage targets without accurate location information. Named the Excalibur S, it also reduces the risk associated with GPS jamming.
 
Finally, the Excalibur N5 is a sea-based projectile expected to more than double the maximum range of conventional 5-inch munitions with the same accuracy as the land-based version. The Excalibur precision-guided projectile has been co-developed by Raytheon Company and BAE Systems Bofors.
 
155 mm BONUS: This BAE Systems-built Archer artillery guns can successfully detect and combat heavily armoured vehicles within 35 kilometres. Compatible with the majority of existing artillery guns, BONUS is handled just like a conventional shell.  
 
The munition also features a base-bleed design, increasing its range to a maximum of 35 kilometres when fired from a NATO L52 gun. When launched from any 155-millimeter artillery system, the BONUS carrier shell separates to deploy two sensor-fused munitions searching for targets within a given footprint. 
 
Each of the two expelled munitions seeks and neutralises its own target independently, and by carrying two smart munitions within the BONUS shell its mission success per round is greater than with traditional ammunition. Sweden has used this smart munition since 2003 which is developed and produced in cooperation by BAE Systems in Sweden and Nexter in France, and used by Finland, France, Norway and Sweden.
 
Depending on customer requirements, the ARCHER charge magazine can be adapted for either conventional bags or modular systems, with fire capabilities including direct fire and Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact (MRSI). Precision targeting is achieved using highly integrated components in the gun computer system, such as ballistic calculation, while firing and operation of the gun computer can be handled automatically or manually, providing ultimate flexibility. 
 
The combination of precision, mobility, and intense rate of fire makes ARCHER a key tactical asset – especially in fast-moving combat situations.
 
Reference Text/ Photo:www.raytheon.com,www.baesystems.com

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