Long Range Blast: The Power Of The Howitzer Archer System
The howitzer is one of the more steadfast implements of modern warfare, a long-ranged artillery with a firing curve between the parabolic arc of a mortar and the straight shot of a cannon. It's a handy weapon, which is why it's been used for hundreds of years. The only real problem with traditional howitzers is that they're not self-propelled – they usually have to be manually wheeled around or towed by a sturdy vehicle. This can make setup and breakdown problematic, as soldiers need to burn time hitching it up while they move out in an active firefight.
To remedy this problem, Bae Systems has developed the ARCHER Mobile Howitzer, a wheeled artillery system designed to deploy and pack up at a moment's notice. With such technology, soldiers can drive up, fire off a 155mm howitzer shot, and be back on the move in just a couple of minutes, shaving precious time off their operations and providing superior coverage over a fractured, evolving battlefield.
How the ARCHER system works
The ARCHER system is a fusion of a 155mm howitzer and an 8 x 8 armored mobile transport. All the howitzer's ammunition is preloaded into 21-shell magazines before a mission; during operation, the crew remains safely inside the armored transport while the rounds are automatically loaded into the barrel. Thanks to an onboard ballistics calculation system, every shot is automatically loaded, aimed, and fired with only minimal input from the crew. This ensures no soldiers need to be out in the open to deploy the howitzer, load its ammo, or pack it up.
Speaking of deployment, thanks to the system's automated deployment, aiming, and storage, the entire firing process only takes about 20 seconds. When the crew receives the order to fire, they can simply stop the vehicle, take aim, fire, and immediately get moving again in a fraction of the time such a process would normally take. The transport has a max speed of 90 kph (or about 55 mph), so it can make an exit in a hurry should the situation demand it.
The onboard barrel can launch shells over 50 kilometers away with pinpoint accuracy and has support for anti-armor and Excalibur precision-guided rounds. If ordered to do so, the howitzer can fire off nine shots in a single minute.
The ARCHER system is currently in use by the British Army, with the Swiss Army also having expressed interest after successful fielding in 2016.