Latvia Picks Czech Morana Howitzers Over Sweden's Archer

Latvia's Cabinet of Ministers decided on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, to procure Morana 155 mm wheeled artillery systems from the Czech company Excalibur Army for the National Armed Forces, the Latvian Ministry of Defence said in a statement published on September 18. The decision sets aside a letter of intent signed in June 2025 for the Archer system built by BAE Systems Bofors.

"The decision was made following an assessment of the costs of the offers, delivery times, operational capabilities and the involvement of the local defence industry in the procurement," the ministry said. It launched market research for 155 mm wheeled artillery systems in May 2024 and, after evaluating the offers received, continued negotiations both with Sweden's BAE Systems Bofors over the Archer and with Excalibur Army over the Morana.

The June 2025 letter of intent committed Latvia and Sweden to a future agreement for the Archer; according to Defense News, it was meant to pave the way for the acquisition of 18 systems. The ministry said further assessment concluded that, "given the financial resources required and the relatively long delivery times", implementing that solution "is currently not feasible within the resources available to the defence sector and the approved defence plans." Continued negotiations with Excalibur Army, it said, produced an offer for "an operationally equivalent artillery system with more favourable pricing and delivery terms", allowing Latvia to accelerate its artillery capability. "Another significant advantage is that the involvement of the local defence industry is envisaged as part of the contract," the ministry added.

Excalibur Army is a subsidiary of Czechoslovak Group (CSG), the Prague-based private defense holding that Defense News describes as one of Europe's largest ammunition producers. Company data cited by Defense News give the Morana a firing range of 41.5 km (26 miles), a crew of three and a top road speed of 90 km/h (56 mph). "The crew has 45 carried rounds available for their task completion. Fully automated gun loading allows the crew to fire up to 6 rounds within the first minute from establishing position," CSG said in a statement. Those figures are the manufacturer's own and have not been independently verified.

The ministry stressed that Sweden remains a strategic partner. In January 2026 the two countries signed a defense cooperation roadmap covering the air, maritime and land domains, including Sweden's military presence in the NATO multinational brigade in Latvia, joint exercises and capability development. Latvia continues to buy Swedish equipment: it has ordered RBS 70 NG short-range air defense systems from Saab Dynamics, and its Air Force received Saab Giraffe 1X air surveillance radars at the end of 2025.

According to GlobalMilitary.net's tracked 2026 inventory data, the Archer is in service with three armies. Sweden fields 26 with a further 48 on order, following the first deliveries of the 8x8 version reported earlier this year; Ukraine operates 26 with 18 on order; and the United Kingdom fields 14. Among the Baltic states, GlobalMilitary.net tracks the ground inventory of Lithuania only. Lithuania's ground forces field 16 PzH 2000 tracked howitzers and 36 M101 towed howitzers, with 48 CAESAR wheeled howitzers and 16 M142 HIMARS launchers on order. Czechia, home of Excalibur Army, has 62 CAESAR on order in the same data.

Bolstering Latvian indirect fire support has been identified as one of the "key capability development projects" financed by the country's record-high 2026 defense budget, according to Defense News, which reports that Latvia foresees spending 4.91% of GDP, or €2.16 billion ($2.48 billion), on the military this year. Latvia's overall standing against other armed forces is tracked in GlobalMilitary.net's global military power ranking.

The contract itself remains to be concluded. Neither the value of the procurement nor the number of systems has been disclosed, and no delivery schedule has been published. The involvement of Latvian defense industry, the ministry said, is envisaged as part of the contract.