PLAY
Ground Vehicles
Archer
II
Rank
AB
2.7
RB
2.7
SB
2.7
Battle rating
Great Britain
Game nation
Tank destroyer
Main role
7,900
RP
Research
10,000
SL
Purchase
General information

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.



Survivability and armour
Armour front / side / back
Hull 20 / 20 / 20 mm
Turret 20 / 20 / 20 mm
Visibility 76 %
Crew 4 persons
Mobility
Max speed
Forward 3335 km/h
Backward 4 km/h
Power-to-weight ratio 11.810.420.616.7 hp/t
Engine power 192170336273 hp
Weight 16.3 t
Optics
Gunner
Commander
Driver
Optics zoom
3.0x–6.0x
Armaments
76 mm QF 17-pounder cannon
Ammunition 39 rounds
Reload basic crew → aces
6.1 → 4.7 s
Vertical guidance -7 / 15°
Horizontal guidance -22 / 22°
Turret Rotation Speed basic crew → aces
Horizontal 1.71.532.22.52.14.43.1 °/s
Vertical 2.82.28.55.543.212.27.8 °/s

AmmunitionTypeArmor penetration (mm) at a distance:
10 m100 m500 m1000 m1500 m2000 m
AP171168155139126113
HE202018161513
APC171168155139126113
APCBC190187172155140126
Smoke333333
Economy
Repair cost Basic → Reference
AB 430 → 532 SL
RB 494 → 611 SL
SB 592 → 732 SL
Crew training 3,000 SL
Experts 10,000 SL
Aces 115 GE
Research Aces 160,000 RP
Reward multiplier AB / RB / SB
30 / 50 / 60 % SL
112 % RP
Total cost of modifications 6,940 RP
6,730 SL
Talisman cost 530 GE

Research order:

Mobility
Protection
Firepower
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