Delivery of upgraded Archer SPHs to Swedish Army now complete
Peter Felstead
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has now returned to the Swedish Army the last of the Archer 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) to be upgraded by manufacturer BAE Systems Bofors, the FMV stated on 30 October 2025.
The upgrade involved 24 Archer 6×6 SPHs being upgraded to the system’s Version C standard, which allows the Archer 155 mm gun system to be mounted on the HX2 8×8 chassis manufactured by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV), offering increased operational mobility, in addition to the system’s original Volvo A30D 6×6 all-terrain articulated chassis.
The upgrade work also included other updates such as a new command support system.
The FMV ordered 48 new Archer systems based on the RMMV HX2 8×8 chassis under a USD 500 million contract signed in September 2023.
“The fact that all Archer systems have now been upgraded to Version C marks an important milestone in the development of the Swedish Armed Forces’ artillery capabilities,” stated Jonas Lotsne, head of the Army Materiel business area at FMV, in a press release by the organisation. “The upgrade involves a modernisation of the systems and contributes to a strengthened operational effect.”
The FMV also noted that October 2025 saw the first rounds fired from an HX2 8×8 chassis-mounted Archer system land on Sweden’s Boden southern firing range.
While 24 of the Swedish Army’s original 48 Volvo 6×6-mounted Archer systems have been upgraded, 14 were sold to the British Army under an interim artillery replacement programme in March 2023, while eight systems were transferred to Ukraine.
In April 2025 the Swedish government announced that it was procuring 18 new Archer 155 mm SPHs from BAE Systems as part of its 18th support package to Ukraine.
