British Army personnel from the 19th Regiment Royal Artillery, known as the Scottish Gunners, have showcased their modernised artillery capabilities during Exercise Dynamic Front in Finland, according to a press release.
Set against the snowy backdrop of Lapland’s Rovajarvi training area, the exercise marked the first tactical deployment of the Army’s new Archer 155mm artillery system.
The week-long event brought together over 5,000 troops from 28 NATO countries, collaborating on joint live-fire exercises.
Major David Mortimer, Second in Command of 19th Regiment Royal Artillery, emphasised the significance of this deployment. “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our modernised artillery capability in front of all our NATO partners,” he said. The Archer, along with the newly deployed Taipan weapon-locating radar system, demonstrated advanced find-and-strike capabilities.
The Taipan and Archer systems aim to enhance the Army’s lethality by reducing the time between target acquisition and engagement. Major Mortimer explained, “This reduces the kill chain, therefore increasing our lethality within our find-and-strike system.”
The exercise also tested personnel against extreme Arctic conditions, with temperatures dropping to minus 15 degrees Celsius. The Scottish Gunners, supported by Arctic warfare instructors and equipped with specialised cold-weather gear, underwent rigorous preparation, including cold-weather operator courses and snow and ice driver training.
“It was quite a culture shock to a lot of our personnel to be up here in such testing conditions,” said Major Mortimer.
“The future is about firing smart munitions, which increases our lethality,” added Major Mortimer.
The Archer’s rapid introduction followed the transfer of 32 AS90 self-propelled guns to Ukraine.
“Our first train-the-trainer instructors were deployed to Sweden in late 2023,” said Mortimer. “It’s incredible that we’re now ready to put this equipment into use so quickly.”
The exercise, hosted by Finland for the first time since joining NATO in 2023, reflects the alliance’s commitment to enhancing collective defence and readiness. “We are stronger together and work to our common values and goals,” concluded Lieutenant-Colonel Faivre.
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This must be fake news. I read in the comments section of UKDJ that the UK has no army and can’t fight in Eastern Europe. I have been assured repeatedly that the Russia army is amazing and would role over our measly forces (that don’t even have ammunition) in a few minutes. 😀
no far off true,
Why did we not just buy more Archer FH77? not as in all the Arty has Archer but may be a full Regts worth. rather than wait until the end of time for RCH 155mm? 14 is feeble. Mind you does not matter what we buy, we might struggle to man/women/them/they them and have enough ammo for more than a week.
I think it was what was readily avaliable. It’s a stop gap.