The Swedish government has decided to fund the production of 24 FH77 BW L52 Archer 155mm/L52 wheeled self-propelled howitzers (SPH).
They were originally intended for Norway. Built by BAE Systems, the Swedish Army intends to retain 12 weapons to add to its existing inventory, with the other 12 offered to export customers.
On 20 September Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist informed the five parties supporting the 2016-20 defence agreement of the decision to fund, in its supplemental budget for this year, production of 12 Archers and the final batch of 12 weapons in 2018-2020.
Sweden and Norway signed a cooperative