BAE Systems Bofors, the manufacturer of the Archer artillery system, has delivered the final upgraded unit to the Swedish Armed Forces according to a release issued by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) on 30 October 2025.
This completes Sweden’s modernisation of the decade-old system, introducing the C variant to all 24 systems across two artillery batallions.
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The most notable improvement within the upgrade is the “increased operational mobility,” stated an Archer officer in the Swedish Artillery Combat School.
The C version has a modular design allowing the military user to alter the vehicle chassis according to their mission priority. Unlike the previous iteration Sweden operated, the C version enables the user to mount the 155 millimetre artillery system onto an 8×8 Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicle rather than being subject exclusively to the original 6×6 Volvo A30D articulated hauler.
6×6 and 8×8 vehicles
This enables different military units across different armies to operate the system in specific mission conditions. While the original 6×6 would still be used to transport Archer in off-road terrain, the 8×8 vehicle would better be used for strategic transportation as it is optimised for longer distances, its standard military truck dimensions for aerial transport, and the fact that it is lighter than the Volvo A30D.
In mid-October, the first shells landed on Boden’s southern firing range after the premiere firing of the new Archer 8×8 system.
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By GlobalData“The upgrade involves a modernisation of the systems and contributes to a strengthened operational effect,” noted Jonas Lotsne, head of the Army Materiel business area at FMV.
Environment and terrain
The Swedish government’s defence commission has identified some key issues, such as the balance between constituent parts of the armed forces, particularly between logistics units and combat formations.
Part of this transition involves the creation of a third mechanised brigade and a motorised brigade will be operational by 203 according to GlobalData intelligence. The latter is required to transport resources across Europe. About 39% of the continent’s total land surface is forested; the European Union says this covers 160 million hectares.
This type of terrain can slow movement or make it difficult to provide logistics. This leads to contested control and denial to roads, bridges, and passes, and thus a requirement for flexibility when it comes to transporting weapons systems through topographical barriers.
Weather can further impact the offence-defence balance. In the Nordic region, Swedish forces face Baltic and Arctic conditions where the frozen ground supports offensive movement albeit the deep snow and bitter cold can equally slow movement debilitate human energy. In the UK – another Archer user – the armed forces are used to different and slightly warmer conditions.
In Ukraine, the Center of Strategic and International Studies points to a weather period known as ‘rasputitsa’, or thaw, during which the ground turns to mud and the advantage may shift to the defence. During the summer in Ukraine, however, the steppes dry out and allow for better movement of tracked and wheeled vehicles.
