Sau Sweden. Anti-tank self-propelled artillery unit Archer. Equipment for Archer

15-02-2017, 14:40

Hello, dear fans of bush gameplay, the site is here! Friends, now we will talk about one of the most interesting and unique cars in our favorite game, tank destroyer of the fifth level of Great Britain is Archer guide.

Of course, many have already guessed that the uniqueness of this device lies primarily in its design features. The car has a faster reverse gear, that is, it drives backwards, while the rotating wheelhouse has a barrel Archer World of Tanks look in the direction opposite to the movement. However, let's move on to analyzing the parameters of the British woman and get to know her better.

TTX Archer

First of all, I would like to say that this self-propelled gun has a small margin of safety at its disposal, but the basic viewing radius of 360 meters is almost the best indicator among all PT-5s.

If we talk about the survivability of this machine, then in this regard it has both frankly weak side, and very strong. First of all, Archer characteristics reservations are terribly weak. No matter how you stand, absolutely everything will pierce you in any projection, and large land mines will leave only tracks in place of our self-propelled gun.

The bright side of the coin can rightfully be considered the camouflage coefficient. British PT- Self-propelled gun Archer WoT It has a rather low silhouette, due to which a decent level of invisibility is achieved. But you must understand that our body is quite long, especially if you want to hide from someone.

From the point of view of driving characteristics, everything is also not very good. Driving backwards is more a feature of the tank, but the point is that maximum speed at Archer World of Tanks weak, the number of horsepower per ton of weight gives one of the worst dynamics indicators among classmates, but we spin in place briskly.

gun

As always, the tank’s armament should be given special attention, but I would like to say right away that in our case the gun practically does not have any pronounced pros or cons, however, overall its parameters are good.

So, to begin with, have Archer gun has a small, or rather even average alpha strike by the standards of its classmates, which is supported by a good rate of fire, which in total gives a good figure of 1915 units of damage per minute.

Breakout parameters tank Archer World of Tanks is not a record, but at the same time very high for its level. This suggests that we will feel confident even in battles at the bottom of the list and only for the thickest targets should we carry 10-15 sub-calibers with us. In addition, you must understand that our ammunition load is small, which means we need to manage it wisely.

The situation repeats with the accuracy characteristics. The dispersion of our gun is compact, but it could be better, however, the same can be said about the moderately fast aiming, but the stabilization of Tank destroyer Archer weak.

The last thing worth mentioning in terms of weapons is the vertical and horizontal aiming angles. The downward bend of our gun is average, only 7.5 degrees, but this is quite enough, especially considering the so-called rear location of the wheelhouse. But the horizontal aiming angles that Archer WoT a total of 45 degrees leaves no doubt about the comfort of firing.

Advantages and disadvantages

Against the background of analyzing the characteristics of the tank and its gun, we can draw up general impression about this device. But in order to properly equip it and understand combat tactics, it is better to highlight the most significant advantages and disadvantages Archer World of Tanks separately.
Pros:
Excellent basic overview;
Decent camouflage;
Good alpha strike and high DPM;
High penetration rates;
Excellent horizontal aiming angles.
Minuses:
Very bad booking;
Small margin of safety;
Mediocre mobility;
Average accuracy;
Small ammunition.

Equipment for Archer

In order to avoid mistakes in the matter of purchasing and installing additional modules, it is better to look at the list of pros and cons of the machine, and set priorities based on the information received. In our case tank Archer equipment It’s better to set it according to the following principle:
1. – will make the already existing good damage per minute even higher, which will undoubtedly have a good effect on your time in battle.
2. – another way to improve the accuracy of the gun by installing additional equipment no, but it needs to be improved, so the choice is obvious.
3. – during positional play, this module will immediately give us maximum visibility, which means in 99% of cases you will have the right to the first shot, which is also very important.

However, there is a good alternative to the above set, with the second item being replaced by. The point is that our accuracy is already quite good, besides, it can still be slightly improved with perks, and increasing camouflage will have a good effect on your survivability.

Crew training

By upgrading the skills of crew members, you can achieve even greater comfort in battle, because there are more opportunities here. The main thing is not to make mistakes, because correcting them will take a lot of time and effort, so for Tank destroyer Archer perks We will teach in this order:
Commander - , , , .
Gunner – , , , .
Driver mechanic - , , , .
Loader (radio operator) – , , , .

Equipment for Archer

You can be less pedantic in the selection and purchase of consumables, and if you have insufficient reserves of silver, a regular set of, , , will suffice. However, situations in battle can be very different, sometimes every little thing plays a huge role, so it’s better to carry Archer equipment in the form of , , , and due to the fact that our British fire rarely burns, the fire extinguisher can be replaced with .

Archer game tactics

When playing on this device, you should always remember about its small safety margin, very weak armor, and, of course, specific controls. These three nuances certainly lead us to the fact that Archer tactics combat will be classic in the understanding of many fans of tank destroyers, that is, a cluster one.

To realize the potential of this self-propelled gun, namely its weapon with high damage per minute, good accuracy and excellent penetration, you must be able to fire unhindered and safely. To do this on Archer World of Tanks It’s better to take a beautiful spreading bush somewhere away from the first line, think about having good coverage of the main key positions and constantly shoot at the allied light.

However, remember that standing in one place throughout the battle is, firstly, unsafe, and secondly, ineffective. That is british tank Archer must periodically change its location, depending on the situation, look for more advantageous and successful positions, but do this with extreme caution.

Finally, it is worth mentioning caution. Close combat is strictly contraindicated for our Briton, and as soon as you are caught in the light and see that the enemy is aiming at you, you need to hide as quickly as possible. In such situations Tank destroyer Archer WoT must leave as quickly as possible dangerous place, hide from everyone, including the artillery, until he disappears from the light. Accordingly, you should not let anyone near you; in many cases, excellent visibility, a powerful gun and good camouflage will help you with this.

Self-propelled gun "Archer" (Archer - archer),
SP 17pdr, Valentine, Mk I.

The self-propelled gun has been produced since 1943. It was created on the basis of the Valentine light infantry tank. At the same time, the power compartment with the liquid-cooled diesel engine "GMC" housed in it remained unchanged, and instead of the control compartment and fighting compartment a lightly armored conning tower, open at the top, is installed, which houses a crew of 4 people and weapons. Self-propelled gun armed with 76.2 mm anti-tank gun with a barrel length of 60 calibers. The initial speed of its armor-piercing projectile weighing 7.7 kg is 884 m/s. A horizontal guidance angle of 90 degrees, an elevation angle of +16 degrees, and a descent angle of 0 degrees are provided. The gun's rate of fire is 10 rounds per minute. Such characteristics guns made it possible to successfully fight almost all German vehicles. To combat manpower and long-term firing points, the ammunition load (40 shells) also included high-explosive fragmentation shells weighing 6.97 kg. Telescopic and panoramic sights were used to control fire. Fire could be carried out both direct fire and from closed positions. To ensure communication, a radio station was installed on the self-propelled gun. Archer self-propelled guns were produced almost until the end of the war and were first used in some artillery regiments, and then were transferred to tank units.

Development of a 17-pounder gun with high initial speed a projectile comparable in armor penetration to the German 88-mm cannon began in 1941. Its production began in mid-1942, and it was planned to install it on the Challenger and Sherman Firefly tanks, self-propelled guns - tank destroyers. Of the existing tank chassis The Crusader had to be excluded due to its small size and insufficient power reserves for such a weapon; of the available chassis, the only alternative remained the Valentine.

The original idea of ​​installing a 17-pounder gun on it was to use the Bishop self-propelled gun and replace the 25-pounder howitzer gun with a new gun. This proved impractical due to the long barrel of the 17-pounder gun and high altitude armored cabins The Ministry of Supply invited Vickers to develop a new self-propelled gun on the basis of the "Valentine" mastered in production, but withstanding the size restrictions when installing a long-barreled gun. This work began in July 1942, and the prototype was ready for testing in March 1943.

New car; Received the name "Archer", built on the "Valentine" chassis with an open top deckhouse. The rear-facing 17-pounder had a limited field of fire. The driver's seat was located similar to the base tank, and the front sheets of the wheelhouse were a continuation of the front sheets of the hull. Thus, despite the large length of the 17-pounder gun, the axis will be a relatively compact self-propelled gun with a low silhouette.

Fire tests took place in April 1943, but changes to a number of components were required, including the installation of the gun and fire control devices. Overall, the car turned out to be successful and became a priority in the production program. The first production vehicle was assembled in March 1944, and from October the Archer self-propelled guns were supplied to the anti-tank battalions of the British BTC in Northwestern Europe. In service british army"Archer" remained until the mid-50s, in addition, after the war they were supplied to other armies. Of the initially ordered 800 vehicles, Vickers built only 665. Despite the limited tactical capabilities due to the adopted weapon installation scheme, the Archer was initially considered as a temporary measure until the advent of best designs- has proven to be a reliable and effective weapon.

Performance characteristics

For decades, the Swedish self-propelled guns have been proof that not only the world leaders in weapons production can create unique types of equipment. Neither the USSR-Russia nor the United States have such self-propelled guns. Swedish designers are ahead in this area of ​​creation military equipment everyone for a long time. A self-propelled 155 mm gun can fire 14 rounds of ammunition in less than a minute, the range of use is more than 25 kilometers - and this is the distant 60s of the last century.
The development of the self-propelled gun was carried out by the Bofors concern, which at that time already had high qualifications in the field of creating artillery solutions for the army and navy. In 1957, Sweden officially declares that it has every opportunity to create atomic weapons in the next six years. It is likely that the weapons being developed at that time could become a “carrier” of nuclear weapons. The self-propelled gun, which has a range of more than 25 kilometers, could well meet these requirements. The first sample of a self-propelled howitzer was ready for testing in 1960. Five-year testing and modification of the gun ends with the launch of the self-propelled gun into mass production. In 1966, Bandcanon 1A entered service with the Swedish army. Self-propelled gun "Bandcanon 1A" is the world's first automatic self-propelled howitzer put into service. Disadvantages - one of the slowest and heaviest in its class - this makes it difficult to conceal and reduces the characteristics of tactical mobility. By the way, after adopting the Bandkanon-1A self-propelled gun in mid-1968, Sweden officially abandoned the creation of atomic weapons.

Design and structure of the self-propelled gun "Bandkanon-1A" The design of the turret and hull is of welded type. Sheet thickness is 10-20 mm. To create the howitzer, they used the power plant and chassis from the main tank “STRV-103”. The engine and transmission compartment is located in the bow of the hull. The driver-mechanic seat is located facing the tower. The hydropneumatic howitzer chassis has six support rollers on each side. The first roller of the row is the leading roller, the last roller is the guide.

The howitzer turret is made of 2 parts and is located in the rear of the hull. A 155 mm gun is installed between the turret parts. The left side of the turret is the location of the radio operator, operator-gunner and commander, the right side of the turret is the location of the machine gunner and loader. Horizontal angles of the howitzer are ± 15 degrees, vertical angles are from 38 to 2 degrees. When pointing manually – vertical angles are 3-40 degrees. The 155 mm gun is equipped with a perforated muzzle brake and a downward opening wedge breech of a semi-automatic type. The design of the turret part allows the weapon to not have devices for removing gases. Interesting feature howitzers - insertable barrel of interchangeable design. In addition to the cannon, the self-propelled gun has a 7.62 mm AA machine gun.

When the self-propelled gun is moving, the gun barrel is secured with a lock in the bow of the vehicle. A ready-to-use ammunition load of 14 rounds of ammunition is located in an armored container located at the rear of the hull. The armored container has 7 compartments, in which two shells are placed in each compartment. Each projectile first goes to the loading tray, after which it is loaded into the gun by the rammer. The rammer and tray operate due to springs, which, in turn, cock the recoil of the barrel. Therefore, the first ammunition is loaded into the gun manually. The rest of the ammunition is supplied automatically. The gunner operator can select the fire mode – single/automatic. Howitzer ammunition is transported by transport vehicle. To stow ammunition, the gun is raised to its maximum vertical angle. The armored container covers are released, and the lift slides down on a rail to stow the ammunition. After laying, the covers are closed and the lift is returned to its original position, the barrel is lowered to its normal position. The howitzer reloading process takes only 120 seconds. The weight of one high-explosive projectile is 48 kilograms, the effective range is 25.6 kilometers. The MTO self-propelled guns use a Rolls-Royce diesel engine with a power of 240 hp. When driving over rough terrain, they additionally turn on a Boeing gas turbine with a power of 300 hp, which is not surprising for the vehicle’s 53-ton weight. Therefore, fuel consumption turned out to be enormous - almost 1,500 liters of fuel are consumed for 230 kilometers. The heavy weight of the car affected the speed characteristics of the car - the maximum speed is 28 km/h.

Modernization of self-propelled guns In 1988, a self-propelled howitzer was modernized. The modernization affected the diesel engine and transmission - the speed increased slightly and fuel consumption decreased. In addition, the control system and vehicle navigation have been improved. After modernization, the self-propelled gun receives the name “Bandkannon 1C”.

It was planned to produce 70 units of this self-propelled gun. But a total of 26 units of the Bandkannon 1A self-propelled howitzer were built. The modernized Bandkannon 1C self-propelled guns were in service with the Swedish army until 2003, after which the vehicle was removed from service.

15-02-2017, 14:40

Hello, dear fans of bush gameplay, the site is here! Friends, now we will talk about one of the most interesting and unique vehicles in our favorite game, the UK fifth-tier tank destroyer. Archer guide.

Of course, many have already guessed that the uniqueness of this device lies primarily in its design features. The car has a faster reverse gear, that is, it drives backwards, while the rotating wheelhouse has a barrel Archer World of Tanks look in the direction opposite to the movement. However, let's move on to analyzing the parameters of the British woman and get to know her better.

TTX Archer

First of all, I would like to say that this self-propelled gun has a small margin of safety at its disposal, but the basic viewing radius of 360 meters is almost the best indicator among all PT-5s.

If we talk about the survivability of this machine, then in this regard it has both a frankly weak side and a very strong one. First of all, Archer characteristics reservations are terribly weak. No matter how you stand, absolutely everything will pierce you in any projection, and large land mines will leave only tracks in place of our self-propelled gun.

The bright side of the coin can rightfully be considered the camouflage coefficient. British tank destroyer Archer WoT It has a rather low silhouette, due to which a decent level of invisibility is achieved. But you must understand that our body is quite long, especially if you want to hide from someone.

From the point of view of driving characteristics, everything is also not very good. Driving backwards is more a feature of the tank, but the point is that the maximum speed is Archer World of Tanks weak, the number of horsepower per ton of weight gives one of the worst dynamics indicators among classmates, but we spin in place briskly.

gun

As always, the tank’s armament should be given special attention, but I would like to say right away that in our case the gun practically does not have any pronounced pros or cons, however, overall its parameters are good.

So, to begin with, have Archer gun has a small, or rather even average alpha strike by the standards of its classmates, which is supported by a good rate of fire, which in total gives a good figure of 1915 units of damage per minute.

Breakout parameters tank Archer World of Tanks is not a record, but at the same time very high for its level. This suggests that we will feel confident even in battles at the bottom of the list and only for the thickest targets should we carry 10-15 sub-calibers with us. In addition, you must understand that our ammunition load is small, which means we need to manage it wisely.

The situation repeats with the accuracy characteristics. The dispersion of our gun is compact, but it could be better, however, the same can be said about the moderately fast aiming, but the stabilization of Tank destroyer Archer weak.

The last thing worth mentioning in terms of weapons is the vertical and horizontal aiming angles. The downward bend of our gun is average, only 7.5 degrees, but this is quite enough, especially considering the so-called rear location of the wheelhouse. But the horizontal aiming angles that Archer WoT a total of 45 degrees leaves no doubt about the comfort of firing.

Advantages and disadvantages

Based on the analysis of the characteristics of the tank and its gun, one can form a general impression of this vehicle. But in order to properly equip it and understand combat tactics, it is better to highlight the most significant advantages and disadvantages Archer World of Tanks separately.
Pros:
Excellent basic overview;
Decent camouflage;
Good alpha strike and high DPM;
High penetration rates;
Excellent horizontal aiming angles.
Minuses:
Very bad booking;
Small margin of safety;
Mediocre mobility;
Average accuracy;
Small ammunition.

Equipment for Archer

In order to avoid mistakes in the matter of purchasing and installing additional modules, it is better to look at the list of pros and cons of the machine, and set priorities based on the information received. In our case tank archer equipment It’s better to set it according to the following principle:
1. – will make the already existing good damage per minute even higher, which will undoubtedly have a good effect on your time in battle.
2. – there is no other way to improve the accuracy of a gun by installing additional equipment, but it needs to be improved, so the choice is obvious.
3. – during positional play, this module will immediately give us maximum visibility, which means in 99% of cases you will have the right to the first shot, which is also very important.

However, there is a good alternative to the above set, with the second item being replaced by. The point is that our accuracy is already quite good, besides, it can still be slightly improved with perks, and increasing camouflage will have a good effect on your survivability.

Crew training

By upgrading the skills of crew members, you can achieve even greater comfort in battle, because there are more opportunities here. The main thing is not to make mistakes, because correcting them will take a lot of time and effort, so for Tank destroyer Archer perks We will teach in this order:
Commander - , , , .
Gunner – , , , .
Driver mechanic - , , , .
Loader (radio operator) – , , , .

Equipment for Archer

You can be less pedantic in the selection and purchase of consumables, and if you have insufficient reserves of silver, a regular set of, , , will suffice. However, situations in battle can be very different, sometimes every little thing plays a huge role, so it’s better to carry Archer equipment in the form of , , , and due to the fact that our British fire rarely burns, the fire extinguisher can be replaced with .

Archer game tactics

When playing on this device, you should always remember about its small safety margin, very weak armor, and, of course, specific controls. These three nuances certainly lead us to the fact that Archer tactics combat will be classic in the understanding of many fans of tank destroyers, that is, a cluster one.

To realize the potential of this self-propelled gun, namely its weapon with high damage per minute, good accuracy and excellent penetration, you must be able to fire unhindered and safely. To do this on Archer World of Tanks It’s better to take a beautiful spreading bush somewhere away from the first line, think about having good coverage of the main key positions and constantly shoot at the allied light.

However, remember that standing in one place throughout the battle is, firstly, unsafe, and secondly, ineffective. That is British Archer tank must periodically change its location, depending on the situation, look for more advantageous and successful positions, but do this with extreme caution.

Finally, it is worth mentioning caution. Close combat is strictly contraindicated for our Briton, and as soon as you are caught in the light and see that the enemy is aiming at you, you need to hide as quickly as possible. In such situations Tank destroyer Archer WoT must leave the dangerous place as quickly as possible, hide from everyone, including artillery, until she disappears from the light. Accordingly, you should not let anyone near you; in many cases, excellent visibility, a powerful gun and good camouflage will help you with this.

On September 23, a long-awaited event took place in Sweden. The Ministry of Defense Procurement Office (Försvarets Materielverk) accepted the first batch self-propelled howitzers FH77BW L52 Archer (“Archer”) on a wheeled chassis. Four new combat vehicles adopted for service under the name Artillerisystem 08. In about a year, the Swedish military department intends to receive a second batch of self-propelled artillery units consisting of 20 vehicles. In addition, 24 self-propelled guns will be built for Norway in the near future.

The long-awaited delivery of self-propelled guns to the customer turned out to be due to a number of technical problems. In accordance with the first contracts signed during development, Archer self-propelled guns were supposed to join the Swedish armed forces back in 2011. However, during testing of the prototypes, some shortcomings were identified, which took some time to correct. As a result, the first batch, consisting of only four pre-production combat vehicles, was handed over to the customer only in September 2013. In the future, the Swedish army will receive serial equipment.

Separately, it is necessary to note the situation with artillery in the Swedish army, which developed as a result of the failure to deliver the Archer self-propelled guns. Currently, artillery in the Swedish Armed Forces is represented only by the 9th Artillery Regiment, consisting of two divisions. By the end of 2011, due to the exhaustion of their service life, all existing towed 155-mm Bofors FH77B howitzers were written off, which is why the Swedish armed forces were completely deprived of any field artillery. It was initially assumed that the new Archer self-propelled guns would replace towed howitzers, but the problems that accompanied the creation of the self-propelled gun derailed the implementation of these plans, and as a result, the Swedish army did not have any artillery for almost two years.

The project to develop a promising self-propelled artillery unit started in 1995. In accordance with the terms of reference, the executing organization had to develop an self-propelled gun armed with a modified FH77B howitzer of 155 mm caliber. The customer demanded to improve the characteristics of the gun by increasing the barrel length. The result of the modernization of the howitzer was the FH77BW modification with a 52-caliber barrel. This is exactly the weapon that was supposed to be used in the new self-propelled gun. In addition, the customer's requirements implied the use of a wheeled chassis.

The preliminary stage of the project took several years. Only in 2003, the Swedish Ministry of Defense signed a contract with Bofors. This document provided for the completion of the project and the subsequent construction of serial self-propelled guns. In 2005, the first prototypes of a promising self-propelled gun were built. Testing of self-propelled guns began after the transformation of the Bofors company into BAE Systems Bofors.

A Volvo A30D with a 6x6 wheel arrangement was chosen as the chassis for the new self-propelled artillery mount. The chassis is equipped with a 340 horsepower diesel engine, which allows the combat vehicle to reach highway speeds of up to 65 km/h. The wheeled chassis is said to be able to move through snow up to one meter deep. If the wheels are damaged, including due to an explosion, the Archer self-propelled gun is capable of continuing to move for some time.

An interesting feature of the Archer self-propelled gun chassis is the architecture used. The A30D has an articulated design that improves maneuverability. At the front of the chassis, above the first axle and up to the articulation unit, is the engine compartment and cockpit. The engine and crew are covered with bulletproof armor corresponding to level 2 of the NATO standard STANAG 4569. The cabin accommodates workplaces for three or four crew members. Depending on the nature of the operation being performed, the crew may have one or two weapons operators. The driver and commander are always present in the crew. On the roof of the cockpit there is space for installing a Protector remote-controlled turret with a machine gun.

All components of the gun are located on the rear module of the articulated chassis. Above the rear axle of the chassis there are mechanisms for lifting and turning the gun turret. The gun is aimed by turning and raising the entire turret. The self-propelled gun mechanisms allow you to aim the gun vertically in the angle range from 0° to +70°. Due to the characteristics of the wheeled chassis, horizontal aiming angles are limited: Archer can fire at targets in the front sector with a width of 150° (75° to the right and left of the axis). To stabilize the vehicle when firing, a double outrigger is used at the rear of the chassis. In the stowed position, the gun module rotates to a neutral position, lowering the howitzer barrel into a special tray covered with covers. The dimensions of the base car required an interesting solution. So, when transferring self-propelled guns to stowed position The gun's recoil devices move the barrel to the rearmost position, which allows it to be placed in the existing tray.

The Archer wheeled self-propelled gun is quite large in size. The maximum length of the combat vehicle exceeds 14 meters, width - 3 meters. Without the use of the Protector turret, the height of the self-propelled gun is 3.3 meters, and after installing this combat module increases by about 60 cm. The combat weight of the Archer self-propelled gun does not exceed 30 tons. The dimensions and weight of the FH77BW L52 self-propelled artillery mount allow it to be transported across railway. In the future, it is planned to use Airbus A400M military transport aircraft for this purpose.

During combat work, the Archer self-propelled gun crew is constantly at their workplaces and does not leave them. All operations are carried out according to commands from control panels. In this regard, all mechanisms of the gun turret operate automatically. The main elements of the turret equipment are the loading mechanisms. According to reports, instead of a single system, the Archer self-propelled gun uses two mechanisms that interact with each other. One of them fires 155mm shells. Mechanized stowage capacity – 21 shells. The second loading system operates with propellant charges supplied in the form of cylindrical blocks with a combustible shell, reminiscent of a charging cap. The Archer self-propelled gun turret stack accommodates 126 blocks with a propellant charge. When using a transport-loading vehicle with a cargo crane, it takes about eight minutes to fully load the ammunition load.

Depending on the task, the crew of the FH77BA L52 Archer self-propelled howitzer can increase or decrease total propellant mixture, changing the number of charges placed in the weapon. At maximum quantity propellant charges self-propelled Archer howitzer capable of sending a projectile to a target at a distance of up to 30 kilometers. The use of active-reactive or guided ammunition increases the firing range to 60 km. The latter is declared for the Excalibur adjustable projectile. The Archer self-propelled gun can fire directly, but in this case the effective firing range does not exceed two kilometers.

The gun's loading mechanisms provide a rate of fire of up to 8-9 rounds per minute. If necessary, the self-propelled gun crew can fire in MRSI mode (the so-called barrage of fire), firing six shots over a short period of time. A salvo of 21 shots (full ammunition) takes no more than three minutes. When developing the Archer self-propelled gun, the need to reduce the time for preparing to fire and leaving a position was taken into account. As a result, the self-propelled gun can carry out some of the preparations for firing while still on the way to the position. Thanks to this, the first shot is fired within 30 seconds after stopping at the desired point on the route. During this time, the outrigger is lowered and the tower is brought into firing position. After completing the fire mission, the crew transfers the combat vehicle to the stowed position and leaves the position. It also takes about 30 seconds to prepare to leave the position.

The FH77BW L52 Archer self-propelled gun is equipped with a modern digital fire control system. Electronic equipment and associated systems allow the crew to carry out all necessary operations without leaving their workplaces. In addition, the automation takes on some of the important actions related to preparation for firing: determining the coordinates of the self-propelled guns, calculating the required pointing angles and firing according to the MRSI algorithm. When using a guided projectile Excalibur or similar, the automation prepares the ammunition for firing.

As already mentioned, the first production Archer self-propelled guns were supposed to be delivered to the troops back in 2011. However, during development, some problems emerged with a number of systems used. It took several years to eliminate the shortcomings, which ultimately led to missed deadlines. Even during testing and development, the first contracts for the supply of serial combat vehicles were signed. In 2008, Sweden ordered eight new self-propelled guns, Norway – one. A few months later, the Scandinavian states decided to jointly finance the project. In accordance with the 2009 contract, BAE Systems Bofors must supply the two countries with 24 self-propelled artillery units.

Negotiations regarding possible export contracts are currently ongoing. The Archer self-propelled gun has attracted the interest of military personnel from Denmark and Canada. These states are negotiating the supply of a certain number of combat vehicles. It is known that Denmark can purchase no more than two dozen self-propelled guns. Until recently, negotiations were ongoing with Croatia. This country was going to buy at least 24 FH77BW L52 self-propelled guns to replace aging Soviet-made equipment. However economic problems did not allow Croatia to purchase Swedish combat vehicles. As a result of lengthy comparisons and negotiations, the Croatian armed forces decided to buy 18 used PzH2000 self-propelled howitzers from Germany. Delivery of the purchased self-propelled guns will begin in 2014.

Combat and operational characteristics make the FH77BW L52 Archer self-propelled artillery mount a worthy representative of its class of military equipment. However, some technical solutions, applied in the project, at one time led to several difficulties. All this could have a negative impact on the reputation of the project. Due to difficulties in developing self-propelled guns Archer Swedish The army was left without field artillery for quite a long time, and there are several months left before the start of mass deliveries of new self-propelled guns. It should be noted that even before the start of mass production, the Archer self-propelled gun attracted the attention of potential buyers in third countries. It is quite possible that new contracts for the supply of self-propelled guns will be signed in the very near future.

Based on materials from sites:
http://baesystems.com/
http://militaryparitet.com/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/
http://army-guide.com/
http://globalsecurity.org/