Thanks to the procurement by the British Ministry of Defense, it has become clear how much it costs to support and maintain the Archer self-propelled artillery systems, which objectively possess unique characteristics and capabilities due to their automation. This self-propelled howitzer fires 21 shells in 150 seconds.
However, this is precisely the case where unique capabilities come with a corresponding price. As reported by UK Defense Journal, the British defense department has announced an upcoming contract for long-term support of the Archer self-propelled howitzer, with a total cost of £58 million (approximately $72.7 million) over seven years.
The contractor has been exclusively designated as BAE Systems Bofors AB, as only this company can provide such services. This is quite logical, given that it is the manufacturer of these artillery systems. The agreement is expected to be signed in the second quarter of 2026, meaning it will be effective until at least 2033.
The contract includes maintenance and repair of the self-propelled howitzer, provision of components, specialized military training, as well as implementation of technical changes and modernization of the howitzer.
From the perspective of Defense Express, it is noteworthy that the United Kingdom currently has 14 Archer self-propelled howitzers, which were purchased from Sweden to replace AS-90s that were supplied to Ukraine. This means that it costs approximately £591,800 annually to maintain one Archer, which is about $741,500.
However, it's important to consider that the calculation of maintenance costs per weapon unit heavily depends on the number of systems that need servicing. Hypothetically, if the British had not 14 but 140 Archers, the maintenance cost for one howitzer would be lower, thus the total expenditure would be less than £580 million.
At the same time, the British Ministry of Defense has used the procurement of Archers to address a situational gap in its own security. Meanwhile, the overall upgrade and even expansion of the artillery systems is entrusted to the RCH 155.