BAE Systems has announced that its 155mm ARCHER wheeled howitzer system successfully completed the US Army’s “shoot off” evaluation.
The evaluation, comprising domestic and international participants, seeks an improvement in the range, rate of fire, precision, and maneuverability of the towed 155mm artillery the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams are currently using.
The ‘Shoot-Off’
The manufacturer claimed that its system can initiate fire within 30 seconds of receiving instruction and takes an equal amount of time to scoot off from the place.
According to the British defense heavyweight, “ARCHER fired about 450 rounds, including six to 12 round bursts, and up to as many as eight rounds per minute” at different stages of the testing, held at the Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona over the summer.
Operates in Diverse Climatic Conditions
Mark Signorelli, vice president of business development at BAE Systems, expressed the company is “confident ARCHER meets the need for a new wheeled artillery system with unprecedented shoot and scoot capability so soldiers can avoid counterfire.”
ARCHER’s demonstration in Arizona, where temperatures soared to 120 degrees (50 degrees Celsius), and the fact that it’s in service with the Swedish Army which operates in “Arctic conditions” in the country’s north, testifies of the system’s resilience to operate in varied climatic conditions, the manufacturer remarked.
Features
The operators control the system from an armored cabin through its automated fire and ammunition loading system. Its 21-rounds-magazine takes three minutes to exhaust.
The system can fire “the precision BONUS anti-armor munition up to 35 km (22 miles), conventional munitions up to 40 km (25 miles), and currently fielded precision-guided munitions like Excalibur in excess of 50 km (31 miles).”
Other competitors in the shoot off include Elbit Systems of America’s ATMOS Iron Sabre system, French company Nexter’s Caesar system, US company AM General’s Brutus, and the NORA B-52 M21 system by a Serbian-manufacturer being offered in the US by Global Ordinance.