The French Defence Minister, Florence Parly, made announcements of particular interest after her visit to the premises of Nexter company.

In particular, she announced, among other things, that the new generation of Caesar guns is on track with greater power and accuracy. The Minister also added that in 2026 the French Armed Forces will be reinforced with 109 modern Caesar guns, an order worth 600 million euros which created 300 jobs.

1/ Lancement d’une nouvelle génération de canons Caesar, puissants et précis. En 2026, nous aurons 109 Caesar modernes et rénovés. Cette commande, d’un montant de 600 millions d’euros, va créer 300 emplois. pic.twitter.com/fUlzeiiyKe

— Florence Parly (@florence_parly) February 21, 2022

In its announcement regarding the new version of Caesar guns, Nexter states that by 2024 there will be 2 options for the Armaments General Directorate: whether to proceed with the production of 109 new Caesar 6×6 Mark II or with the production of 33 new Mark II and the modernization of the 76 Caesar guns already in service. 

Nevertheless, in the company’s announcement published two days before the announcement of the Minister of Defence, it is stated that the Armed Forces will be supplied with 109 new Caesar guns by 2031, and not 2026 as was mentioned by the French Ministry of Defence, which coincides with the 4 years required for the initial system development and qualification before it goes into production.

The French 155mm/52 Caesar gun became especially famous during its service in the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is in service with the Armed Forces of France, Indonesia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Thailand and has been commissioned by other countries such as Denmark and Belgium. It is available on a six- and eight-wheeled platform.

Also read: Caesar 8×8 will join Denmark’s arsenal in this summer | VIDEO

Caesar technical characteristics:

• Weight: 17.7 tons (version 6 × 6), 28.7-30.2 tons (version 8 × 8)
• Length: 10 m (6×6), 12.3 m (8×8)
• Width 2.55 m (6×6), 2.8 m (8×8 )
• Height: 3.7 m, 3.1 m (8×8)
• Crew: 5-6 people
• Gun: 155 mm/52 caliber 
• Firing rate: 6 rounds/minute
• Maximum number of rounds: 30 rounds/minute
• Operational range: 600 km
• Maximum speed: 100 km/hour (on-road), 50 km/h (off-road)

The improvements of the new version, according to Nexter, concern, among other things, crew protection and mobility. A level 2 armored cabin for fire and mine protection, resistant to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and small caliber ammunition, will be added. 

In terms of mobility, the French Arquus also undertook the complete redesign which includes a new 460 CV engine, a new automatic transmission and a new chassis. 

In addition, the new CAESAR 6×6 will feature new fire control software and a new communication system, while Thales’ BARAGE jammer can be added to intercept improvised explosive devices fired wirelessly.

Also read: ZUZANA-2 | The successor of the self-propelled gun howitzer acquired by the National Guard