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Sweden’s Archer 8×8 Artillery Trials And Upgraded 6×6 Delivery Mark A Baltic Defense Breakthrough.
Sweden has finished handing back all upgraded Archer 6×6 howitzers to the Army and, within days, conducted the first live shots from the new Archer 8×8 during trials at Boden. The twin milestones fill out two artillery battalions and introduce the HX2-based chassis that will anchor future gun regiments, a lift for NATO’s northern flank.
On 30 October and 3 November, Sweden marked back-to-back milestones in its artillery renewal, as announced by the Swedish Armed Forces. FMV confirmed the final hand-back of all upgraded Archer 6×6 systems to the Army, followed days later by the first shots from the next-generation Archer 8×8 during trials in Boden. Together, these steps move two artillery battalions to full operational strength and introduce the chassis that will underpin Sweden’s future gun regiments. For a NATO frontline state on the Baltic, this is relevant beyond Sweden’s borders: it tightens readiness, deepens interoperability and adds mobile long-range fires to the Alliance’s northern flank.
Sweden has reached key milestones in its artillery modernization, delivering upgraded Archer 6×6 systems and successfully testing the next-generation Archer 8×8, reinforcing NATO’s northern flank with enhanced mobility and firepower (Picture Source: Swedish Armed Forces)
Sweden’s Archer program rests on two pillars now converging in service: the modernized 6×6 “Archer C” fleet and the incoming 8×8 generation. The legacy Volvo-based Archers have been through an extensive industrial reset at BAE Systems Bofors, returning to the Army with a new command-support system and vehicle updates that network the guns more effectively and shorten the sensor-to-shooter loop. With this handover, FMV states the entire 24-gun 6×6 inventory is at the C standard, directly adding operational capacity to at least two artillery battalions. In parallel, mid-October trials at Boden saw the first live rounds fired from Archer integrated on an RMMV 8×8 off-road truck, selected to lift operational mobility without changing the core gun, autoloader and fire-control architecture proven on Archer C. Officials at ArtSS noted that while grouping, firing rate and effects remain equivalent to the C-standard, the 8×8 chassis yields a clear mobility advantage for rapid dispersal and survivability.
Capability-wise, Archer remains defined by automation and tempo. The system carries 21 ready-to-fire rounds in automated magazines, supports Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact (typically 4–6 rounds depending on range), and sustains up to nine rounds per minute, enabling true “shoot-and-scoot” operations within tens of seconds. Mated with modern digital command systems, that rate of fire converts quickly into effects, especially when paired with extended-range or precision munitions. The Army’s adoption of a new command-support suite on Archer C and the continuity of that fire-control stack onto the 8×8 keeps Swedish batteries aligned with NATO’s digital fires environment, reducing call-for-fire latency, optimizing ammunition expenditure, and easing coalition integration.
Operationally, the Archer story is broader than national re-equipment. Sweden’s 14 surplus Archers transferred to the British Army in 2023 provided London with an interim replacement for AS90s gifted to Ukraine, while Stockholm authorized the donation of eight systems to Kyiv, exposing the platform to the most demanding contemporary artillery fight and feeding back lessons on survivability, counter-battery tempos and ammunition mixes. Those moves framed Sweden’s decision to scale its own fleet on a more mobile 8×8, reinforcing a fires posture suited to Sweden’s long road network, dispersed basing and the wider Nordic theater’s need for rapid, networked long-range strike.
Strategically, the 6×6 upgrade completion and 8×8 introduction land at a moment when Nordic artillery interoperability has become a hard requirement rather than an ambition. The shift to an RMMV 8×8 chassis, aligned with a widespread NATO heavy truck family, simplifies logistics, expands mobility envelopes across Sweden’s varied terrain and winter roads, and improves cross-border supportability with partners. At the geostrategic level, a denser, more mobile Swedish artillery arm strengthens deterrence in the Baltic Sea region by raising the cost of aggression and complicating adversary ISR and counter-battery planning. At the military level, modern digital command systems and automated loaders translate into faster first-round effects, more resilient battery survivability cycles, and closer integration with allied target acquisition networks now proliferating across northern Europe.
The contracting and budget picture underscores how deliberate this build-up is. Sweden’s 2023 framework with BAE Systems Bofors for 48 Archer 8×8 howitzers, first deliveries slated from 2025, anchors the transition to the new chassis. In parallel, Stockholm has moved to secure ammunition at scale: in July 2025, the government announced artillery ammunition deals exceeding 5 billion SEK with Rheinmetall Denel Munition and Nammo, most of it earmarked for Archer projectiles and propelling charges. These choices reflect a fires-centric rearmament line that pairs platforms with the consumables and digital enablers that unlock actual operational availability. They also build directly on the just-completed 6×6 modernization program, executed by BAE Systems Bofors under FMV stewardship and now handed back to the Army.
Sweden’s artillery is entering a phase where numbers, networks and mobility move in step. Completing the Archer C upgrade across all 6×6 guns restores immediate battalion-level mass; proving the 8×8 in live fire opens the path to a more agile and survivable force design; and locking in guns and ammunition contracts secures the throughput that sustained operations demand. For allies, this signals a northern flank that can deliver precise, fast and mobile long-range fires from day one of a crisis. For adversaries, it is a reminder that Sweden is methodically turning announcements into artillery battalions in the field.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.