British Gunners take aim and fire Archer Artillery System for the first time

A clicking sound of an engine motor, the distinguishable clunk of metal and a ‘nano second’ later a fire ball and cloud of smoke explodes out of a gun muzzle, as a live shell is expelled from the barrel. This is the moment the first British troops fired the Archer Mobile Howitzer.
Watching the vapour trail on its trajectory as it heads into the winter sky is Lieutenant Colonel Paddy Talbot-King, the Chief Instructor for the Training Delivery Wing, based at the Royal School of Artillery (RSA) who is “extremely pleased” with what he’s witnessed.
Standing on the snowy, frozen military training area of Boden, Swedish Lapland, the Lieutenant Colonel is observing a team of gunners from Larkhill, Wiltshire who have successfully completed a training package, learning what it takes to operate the Archer.
The historical moment in Sweden is the culmination of a 14-week ‘train the trainer’ course provided by The Swedish Artillery School.
Following the granting-in-kind of 32 AS90 self-propelled guns,, Archer was procured from the Swedish Government as an interim solution for the gap created in the Army’s 155mm Close Support capability.
The purchase included logistic support containers, an initial ammunition suite, initial support, and training package.
But for Paddy it has been about his staff achieving the high standards required to operate the modern artillery platform. “The relationship with the Swedish School of Artillery has been enduring for a number of years,” he said “And has absolutely been cemented by the training here in Sweden on the Archer system.
“They very kindly offered to deliver this package, to be able to convert the artillery batteries in the UK onto the Archer system and have bent over backwards to support us in our training, and indeed will continue that support when we go back to Wiltshire.”
The course follows the same length and syllabus as that taught to the Swedish instructors to qualify them to teach their conscripts.
“The need for the extensive package is that the gun is so complex,” explained Fanjunkare (Master Sergeant) Johannes Borgstedt-Faläng, one of the Swedish Gunnery Instructors who has spent the last three months working closely with our artillery soldiers.
“If you come from an AS90 or any other gun platform it is a lot less digital and not as much manual labour as it is on the standard older howitzers. You need much more in-depth knowledge of the computer system and fault management.
“The challenges of that are when you go from a physical job to pushing buttons it is ‘hard to get your head around it,’ you are used to doing it manually, and when the gun does it for you, you’re not comfortable with it!”

[@Thbenjaminsson]

* * * * To our close British Brothers & Sisters in arms, our Good NATO-Allies, from your Dedicated, Sincere Brothers & Sisters of the Viking Land of Sweden:
"Times of joy, and times of sorrow -
We will allways see them through
And I don't care what comes tomorrow -
We can face it together
The way old friends do" . . . .
Th. Benjaminsson - Sweden * 🇸🇪 🇸🇪 *

[@svensvensson627]

I love this system!

[@qw49]

THE ARCHER IS A BAD ASS 😂😂🇸🇪🇸🇪

[@hansnordgren5319]

Ukraine has their 8 delivered Archers intact !

[@PerJohansson-tj8ds]

Made in Sweden

[@emillio_gonzales]

The First Archer has been destroyed in Ukraine today!

[@elestromusicgamesfun1101]

source?

[@emillio_gonzales]

@@elestromusicgamesfun1101 front line

[@elestromusicgamesfun1101]

@@emillio_gonzales Omg link it

[@maa518]

No one cannot be destroyed

[@Cloudberry84]

And your point is...?