Latvia eyes indirect-fires boost with new Archer howitzer acquisition

WARSAW, Poland — Latvia’s government has approved the planned purchase of Archer 155 mm self-propelled howitzers for the country’s armed forces. As part of the procurement, which are made by BAE Systems, Latvia aims to strengthen its cooperation with Sweden, the first customer to buy the Archer .

Latvia and Sweden are advancing efforts to engage in long-term cooperation which will include joint training and the deployment of Sweden’s Archers in Latvia starting in 2026. The two countries will establish a joint Archer unit, enabling their militaries to conduct joint exercises, the Latvian Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

“The purchase of the artillery system is an important step in strengthening the capacity of the National Armed Forces,” Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds said. “It will not only expand our indirect fire capabilities, but also promote closer cooperation with Sweden, ensuring joint training and exchange of experience.”

The purchase agreement covers 18 Archers. Officials did not specify the deal’s worth. The Latvian government’s approval for the program follows the signing of a letter of intent between Riga and Stockholm last June.

Other Archer users include the Ukrainian military and the British Army, which acquired the weapon to replace AS90 donated to Ukraine.

The howitzer buy comes shortly after Latvia’s parliament approved the country’s record-high 2026 defense budget, which foresees spending 4.91% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), or €2.16 billion ($2.51 billion), on the military.

As part of the spending hike, ramping up Latvian indirect fire support capabilities has been identified as one of the “key capability development projects,” according to the nation’s defense ministry.

Latvia has accelerated its self-propelled howitzer acquisition plans following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, similar to its two Baltic State neighbors, Estonia and Lithuania .

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——拉脱维亚政府已批准为该国武装部队采购“弓箭手”（Archer）155毫米自行榴弹炮。此次采购由英国航空航天系统公司（BAE Systems）负责，拉脱维亚此举旨在加强与瑞典的合作，瑞典是“弓箭手”自行榴弹炮的首个客户。

拉脱维亚和瑞典正在推进长期合作，其中包括联合训练以及从2026年开始向拉脱维亚部署瑞典“弓箭手”步兵团。拉脱维亚国防部在一份声明中表示，两国将建立一支联合“弓箭手”步兵团，使两国军队能够进行联合演习。

拉脱维亚国防部长安德里斯·斯普鲁兹表示：“采购这套火炮系统是加强国家武装部队能力的重要一步。它不仅能增强我们的间接火力打击能力，还能促进与瑞典更紧密的合作，确保联合训练和经验交流。”

该采购协议涵盖18辆“弓箭手”装甲车。官方并未透露交易金额。拉脱维亚政府批准该项目之前，里加和斯德哥尔摩于去年6月签署了意向书。

Archer 的其他用户包括乌克兰军队和英国陆军，后者购买该武器是为了取代捐赠给乌克兰的 AS90。

拉脱维亚购买榴弹炮不久前，该国议会批准了创纪录的 2026 年国防预算，预计将把该国国内生产总值 (GDP) 的 4.91%（即 21.6 亿欧元，25.1 亿美元）用于军事开支。

据该国国防部称，作为增加开支的一部分，提高拉脱维亚间接火力支援能力已被确定为“关键能力发展项目”之一。

在俄罗斯于 2022 年入侵乌克兰之后，拉脱维亚加快了自行榴弹炮的采购计划，这与它的两个波罗的海邻国爱沙尼亚和立陶宛的做法类似。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。