Rheinmetall has signed a 71-million-euro ($77 million) deal with BAE Systems Bofors to deliver 48 HX Cab Chassis with protected cabins for the Swedish Armed Forces’ Archer artillery system.
The capabilities will serve as carriers for the military’s 155 mm self-propelled howitzer used for long-range indirect fire support.
BAE will manage the integration of the system into the Archer howitzers, which will transition from a 6×6 platform to the HX’s 8×8 build.
The contract also covers additional service and maintenance support for the HX vehicles.
Deliveries are expected to begin by the third quarter of 2024 and end in 2027.
Rheinmetall’s HX trucks are currently in service in multiple NATO members’ armed forces, including Denmark, Germany, and the UK.
Utilizing the HX Vehicles
The HX vehicles are specially adapted to integrate flawlessly with the Archer howitzer, capable of withstanding the weapon’s pressure waves when firing, and providing significant off-road mobility.
Alongside defense firm Babcock, BAE and Rheinmetall have offered the HX-integrated Archer setup to the British Army in 2023 as a replacement for the country’s AS90 armored self-propelled howitzer.
The HX line’s trucks are also capable of supporting other defense equipment, including Rheinmetall’s Skynex air defense systems.
Rheinmetall states that the use of similar systems in allied nations offers synergy in the areas of training, deployment, maintenance, and repair.
