Archer

Archer

Gun Carrier (3-in)

Archer

Gun Carrier (3-in)

Britain

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.7	2.7	2.7

Class:

Tank destroyer

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

Show in game

Description

The introduction of the 17-pounder anti-tank gun into British service gave the British forces firepower capable of destroying the heavier German tanks; however, the gun's heavyweight and bulkiness presented a mobility issue for the crew. A Valentine chassis was chosen to be modified in order to fit the new gun. The modified Valentine, known as the Self Propelled 17pdr, Valentine, Mk.I, Archer, was given a more powerful engine and a casemate superstructure on the front. The most distinctive feature of the Archer compared to any other tank destroyers in the war was that its gun is not facing forward, rather to the rear. This is because it is impossible to mount such a large gun relative to the hull without overloading the frontal chassis. The Archer was used on the Italian front and in the European campaign against Germany. As a self-propelled gun, the Royal Artillery had authority over the tank destroyer just like other tank destroyers in British service. Reception to the Archer revealed that the crews favoured the Archer over the M10 Achilles due to the better tactics the Archer presented by shooting then speeding away before the enemy could discover them.

Introduced in Update 1.55 "Royal Armour" alongside the initial British ground tree, the Archer's armament is very good at this battle rating. The same cannon is even used on Rank III and IV tanks like the Sherman Firefly and the A.C.IV. Its reload speed is not bad, but there are faster firing cannons at this rank. However, the Archer can destroy many enemy tanks in one shot, and if it doesn't destroy them it will incapacitate them. If the enemy is not destroyed and they can shoot you, retreat and reload. Once reloaded, you can try to destroy the enemy tank, but if it's aiming in your direction you can try sneaking up on it. The Archer does not have a turret, but its gun can traverse further left and right than most non-turreted tank destroyers, including the StuG III F and SU-122. While these tank destroyers have a different battle rating, you may still encounter them.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull20 / 20 / 20

Turret20 / 20 / 20

Crew4 people

Visibility77 %

The Archer's armour will not protect against close range fire, and the gun shield is especially vulnerable to fire from heavy machine guns and autocannons. When in a firing position, the engine block can work as extra protection. Generally speaking, don't expect to survive prolonged exchanges with enemy tanks.

When facing the Archer's gun, consider firing onto the right side of the gun shield, as that will eliminate the gunner and prevent the Archer from firing back. Avoid firing directly on the front of the vehicle, as you are unlikely to kill the crew in an efficient amount of time. Instead get shots on the side or concentrate fire on the gun compartment.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	20 mm (32-33°) Front glacis 20 mm (27°) Lower glacis	20 mm	20 mm (23°), 14 mm (60°) Top 20 mm (0°), 14 mm (65°) Bottom	10 mm
Superstructure	20 mm (32-33°) Same as hull front	20 mm (13-18°)	20 mm (16-57°) Gun shield 100 mm Gun breech	N/A

Notes:

• The front of the vehicle is the direction the driver is facing.
• Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
• A 9-12 mm RHA plate separate the crew compartment from the engine

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB36 / 5 km/h

RB and SB33 / 5 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight16.3 t

Engine power

AB366 hp

RB and SB192 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB22.5 hp/t

RB and SB11.8 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	36	5	16.3	273	366	16.75	22.45
Realistic	33	5		170	192	10.43	11.78

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB430 → 531

RB494 → 611

SB592 → 732

Total cost of modifications6 940

6 730

Talisman cost530

Crew training3 000

Experts10 000

Aces115

Research Aces160 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

30 / 50 / 60 %

112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 350 Cost: 340 65 Suspension Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 Brake System Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 Filters Research: 580 Cost: 560 105 Transmission Research: 750 Cost: 730 135 Engine Research: 750 Cost: 730 135	Improved Parts Research: 350 Cost: 340 65 Improved FPE Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 Crew Replenishment Research: 580 Cost: 560 105	76mm_britain_17pdr_APC_ammo_pack Research: 350 Cost: 340 65 Horizontal Drive Research: 350 Cost: 340 65 76mm_britain_17pdr_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 Adjustment of Fire Research: 310 Cost: 300 55 Elevation Mechanism Research: 580 Cost: 560 105 76mm_britain_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 750 Cost: 730 135

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm QF 17-pounder cannon

Ammunition39 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.1 → 4.7 s

Vertical guidance-7° / 15°

Horizontal guidance-22° / 22°

76 mm QF 17-pounder					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	39	-7°/+15°	±22°	N/A	2.2	3.0	3.7	4.1	4.4	6.11	5.41	4.98	4.70
Realistic					1.5	1.7	2.1	2.4	2.5

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Shot Mk.6	AP	171	168	155	139	126	113
Shell Mk.1	HE	20	20	18	16	15	13
Shot Mk.4	APC	171	168	155	139	126	113
Shot Mk.8	APCBC	190	187	172	155	140	126

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Shot Mk.6	AP	883	7.71	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
Shell Mk.1	HE	883	6.98	0.2	0.1	580	79°	80°	81°
Shot Mk.4	APC	883	7.71	-	-	-	48°	63°	71°
Shot Mk.8	APCBC	883	7.71	-	-	-	48°	63°	71°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
17pdr Shell SS Mk.1	229	8.44	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Archer

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
39	30 (+9)	27 (+12)	14 (+25)	1 (+38)	No

Note:

• Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.

Usage in battles

You should use the true forward direction (opposite of the gun) to travel from place to place as its reverse speed is low. You should travel in the direction of the gun when approaching an enemy or an area with combat taking place. Once you can shoot the enemy, fire around at them and quickly go in the true forward direction to retreat. The same applies to when you're sniping, fire a shot and retreat. Again, the Archer can be played in both close combat and sniping, but be sure not to get too close.

The Archer has an open top, so you will need to be careful about machine guns and artillery. Its faster forward speed can allow you to escape from planes who are attacking you. You should also note that the Archer is faster than all three Valentines. While it is based on a Valentine, its reverse speed is about double the reverse speed of a Valentine, and its forward speed is about 9 km/h faster.

Whenever facing tanks of any battle rating and rank, always be on alert and always have a backup plan as most tanks may be able to knock out the Archer in one shot. Do not worry, always play safely and stay at a reasonable distance from the cap circle or in an area which can be a choke point for the enemy team. Always make sure you are in an area where they have to face the tank from in the cannon's arc to always have a first shot opportunity and have the enemy back off from charging straight into the Archer's field of fire. If a plane or tank starts strafing the Archer, pull out and find a new location as that place is now compromised and a wary pilot or flanking enemy could put an end to the Archer's career.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Ability to move faster in the opposite direction of the gun allows for a quick retreat
• The QF 17-pounder is amazing at causing damage and offers easy ballistic trajectory
• The direction configuration can confuse or surprise enemies
• Very stealthy when in hull-down position
• Engine can double as armour: some shots will be absorbed, protecting the crew
• Smooth handling despite strange design
• Decent speed for a SPG, allowing it to keep pace with teammates

Cons:

• Thin armour means that heavy machine gun fire will penetrate armour plates quite easily
• Open-topped vehicle; vulnerable to planes, HE shells, and artillery strikes
• Vehicle immobilization can occur often
• Only travels about 4 km/h backwards, which makes it hard to move in the direction of your gun
• The Archer has a long reload time for its BR
• Very slow cannon traverse speed and average reload speed; high crew training is critical for maximum effectiveness
• Lightly-armoured tanks may get off easy from your shots, as the solid shots lack HE filler and produce little spalling
• It can be hard to master this vehicle as the gun does not face forward

History

Development

The production of the 17-pounder anti-tank gun for British service gave the British military firepower capable of destroying the heavier German tanks, however, the gun's heavyweight and bulkiness presented a mobility issue for the crew. An attempt to make a mobile version was done in 1942, first with the Gun Carrier (3-in) as a self-propelled mount, then with the M10 tank destroyer from the Americans which proved more successful. Another project done was to use obsolete tank chassis and convert them into mounts for use, like the Crusader cruiser tanks and the Valentine infantry gun. The Valentine was chosen for further development as it was one of the more reliable tanks in British service and had the specifications needed to mount the gun. The modified Valentine, known as the Self Propelled 17pdr, Valentine, Mk.I, Archer, was given a more powerful engine and a casemate superstructure on the front. The most distinctive feature of the Archer compared to any other tank destroyers in the war was that its gun is not facing forward, rather to the rear. This had a benefit of reducing the vehicle's length by making the gun stretch out over the rear hull of the vehicle, limiting the gun from extending over the vehicle. The rear gun mounting, despite its unorthodox method, allowed the Archer to become an excellent ambush weapon, by firing at targets with its gun and able to speed away forward at full speed rather than the reverse. The first prototype of the Archer was made in 1943, trials were carried out in April 1943, which concluded favourably and 800 were ordered from Vickers and accepted into service in October 1944. Vickers were able to complete 655 Archer tank destroyers from March 1943 to until the end of the war in May 1945.

Combat usage

The Archer was used in the Italian front and the European campaign against Germany. As a self-propelled gun, the Royal Artillery had authority over the tank destroyer just like other tank destroyers in British service. Reception to the Archer proved that the crews favour the Archer over the M10 Achilles due to the better tactics the Archer presented by shooting then speeding away before the enemy could discover them. Though the drawbacks of the crew positions, open-topped superstructure, and limited gun traverse limited the Archer's capabilities, this was mitigated by its role as a tank destroyer and was used in World War II until the end.

Britain continued to use the Archer up until the 1950s. Once retired, some were sold to the Egyptian Army, to which they reported using it during the Suez Canal crisis in 1956. After that, no further action reports are known with the Archers.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Archer from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Most unusual vehicles discusses the Archer at 3:15 - War Thunder Official Channel

Reason why no one plays it? Weirdest tank construction! - Archer - HowToPlay1337

The SP 17pdr. Valentine "Archer", British Tier-2, Tank Destroyer - Angry Nerd Gaming

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• Valentine (Family)

External links

• [Wikipedia] Archer (tank destroyer)
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Archer, Self Propelled 17 Pdr Anti-tank gun

Vickers-Armstrongs Limited
Ships
Tribal-class	HMS Eskimo · HMCS Haida
Invincible-class	HMS Invincible*
Kongō-class	IJN Kongo**
Tanks
Light Tanks	VFM5*** · Vickers Mk.11***
Light Tank Mk VI	Light AA Mk I
Light Tank Mk VII	Tetrarch I
Light Tank Mk VIII	Alecto I
Tank, Infantry, Valentine	Valentine I · Valentine IX · Valentine XI · Archer
Vickers MBT	Vickers Mk.1 · Vickers Mk.3 · Vickers Mk.7***
Heavy Tanks	Independent****
Export	▂МК-IX "Valentine" · Vickers Mk.E****
See also	Vickers-Armstrongs Aircraft Limited
	*Previously Armstrong Whitworth
	**Built for Japan
	***Vickers Defence Systems
	****Previously Vickers Limited

Britain tank destroyers
Infantry tank derivatives	Archer · Gun Carrier (3-in)
Light tank derivatives	Alecto I
M10 Achilles	Achilles · Achilles (65 Rg.)
Centurion derivatives	FV4005 · Conway
ATGM	Swingfire · Striker
Other	Tortoise · ▄M109A1
Canada	QF 3.7 Ram
South Africa	G6 · ZT3A2