Former Armed Forces Minister, Mark Francois MP, saw the British Army’s new “Archer” heavy artillery system, during a recent visit to the Defence Systems Equipment International exhibition at the Excel Centre, in London’s Docklands.
Mark, who is a Member of the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC), was shown around the new 155mm gun, which is being purchased to help replace the Army’s older AS-90 systems, many of which were recently gifted to Ukraine, to help resist the Russian invasion.
The Archer system, which can fire extended range ammunition out to a distance of some 50km, is being provided to the Army by UK manufacturer BAe Systems, in collaboration with industrial partners from Sweden - which is currently in the process of joining the NATO alliance. The first of the new Archer’s should reach the British Army’s artillery regiments next year.
Describing the advantages of the new system for Britain’s Defence, Mark said:
“To give some idea of what Archer can do, using modern extended-range, guided ammunition, an Archer system, fired from the test ranges at Shoeburyness, would be capable of successfully engaging targets in West London and, even at that range, could hit one specific house, rather than the one next door. If we are to deter further Russian aggression against NATO, this is exactly the type of modern kit we need.”
