The CAmion Équipé d'un Système d'ARtillerie (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

: ''Truck equipped with an artillery system'') or CAESAR ''Caesar self propelled gun''-www.defense-update.com
; retrieved 13 February 2007 is a French

155 mm 155 mm (6.1 in) is a common, NATO-standard, artillery caliber. It is defined in AOP-29 part 1 with reference to STANAG 4425. It is commonly used in field guns, howitzers, and gun-howitzers. Land warfare The caliber originated in France a ...

, 52-calibre self-propelled

howitzer A howitzer () is a long-ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an Artillery, artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a Mortar (weapon), mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and de ...

installed on a

6x6 Six-wheel drive (6WD or 6×6) is an all-wheel drive drivetrain configuration of three axles with at least two wheels on each axle capable of being driven simultaneously by the vehicle's engine. Unlike four-wheel drive drivetrains, the configu ...

or 8x8 truck chassis that can fire all 39/52 caliber NATO-standard shells. Equipped with an autonomous weapon network incorporating an inertial navigation system and ballistic computer, the CAESAR can notably accurately strike targets more than away using ERFB (Extended Range, Full Bore) ammunition with

base bleed Base bleed is a system used on some artillery shells to increase range, typically by about 20–35%. It expels gas into the low pressure area behind the shell to reduce base drag (it does not produce thrust). Since base bleed extends the ran ...

, or targets over away using rocket assisted or smart ammunition. Units manufactured for the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

use a 6x6 Renault ''Sherpa 5'' chassis, while exported versions have been integrated on the 6x6 Unimog U2450L chassis or the 8x8

Tatra 815 The Tatra 815 is a truck family, produced by Czech company Tatra. It uses the traditional tatra concept of rigid backbone tube and swinging half-axles giving independent suspension. The vehicles are available in 4x4, 6x6, 8x8, 10x8, 10x10, 1 ...

chassis for example. The CAESAR platform was developed by French defense contractor GIAT Industries (now known as

Nexter Nexter Systems (formerly known as GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Roanne, Loire. Group organization The Nexter group i ...

) and has been exported to various countries including

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

Development

CAESAR was developed in the 1990s as a technology demonstrator by the French state-owned company GIAT Industries, in cooperation with

Lohr Industrie Lohr Industrie is a French manufacturer. With a track record in the manufacture of high-tech car transporter systems (primarily for road haulage), this manufacturer has developed the Translohr tram cars and Modalohr road/rail transfer system, an ...

. It was first shown in public in 1994. Four years later, a pre-production model underwent trials with the French Army. Under ordinary conditions, Nexter can produce 10 CAESARs per year.

Design

The CAESAR is a wheeled, 155mm 52-caliber self-propelled

. It holds 18 rounds and is typically operated by a crew of five, though if necessary the CAESAR can be operated by a crew as few as three. It can be transported by a

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally des ...

A400M The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic ca ...

heavy cargo aircraft. It has a firing range of approximately using an Extended Range, Full Bore (ERFB) shell, and more than using rocket assisted shells. The system is integrated with a fully computerized system, providing automatic control. During Eurosatory 2006, CAESAR was exhibited with an automated laying system based on the SIGMA 30

inertial navigation system An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors ( accelerometers), rotation sensors (gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity (d ...

. It is fast to set up for firing and to leave the firing position; it can fire six rounds and move away within two minutes. CAESAR self-propelled howitzer of the Indonesian Army

CAESAR self-propelled howitzer of the Indonesian Army

In February 2022, Nexter was awarded a contract by the French

Direction générale de l'armement The Direction générale de l’armement (DGA; English: Directorate General of Armaments), is the French Government Defence procurement and technology agency responsible for project management, development and purchase of weapon systems for the Fr ...

(DGA) for the development of the CAESAR 6x6 Mark II new generation (NG) artillery system. The Mark II features a new chassis with a more powerful 460 hp engine and new automatic gearbox, new fire control software, and a Level 2 mine and ballistic armored cabin raising the vehicle's weight to 25 tonnes (27.56 tons). The contract begins a four-year development phase, after which the Mark II will enter production. In 2024, the DGA will choose whether to start production of 109 newly built Mark IIs or to procure 33 new vehicles while retrofitting the 76 CAESARs already in service.

CAESAR 8x8

On 16 September 2015 at DSEI 2015, Nexter unveiled the CAESAR 8x8 which features a high level of mobility ensured by a modified Tatra T-815 8x8 chassis. The 8x8 CAESAR is fitted as standard with an unarmoured forward control four-person cab, but one of the options is a fully armour protected cab. Gross vehicle weight would depend on the level of armour protection, but is about 30 tonnes. It is powered by a 410 hp diesel engine. It holds 36 rounds.

Operational deployment

Eight CAESARs were sent to Afghanistan during the summer of 2009 to support French operations. They were deployedLibération; ''La France va envoyer des CAESAR en Afghanistan''; 29 June 2009
(in French) on 1 August 2009 by the 3rd Marine Artillery Regiment (3è RAMa), followed by five others, deployed as a firebase in FOB Tora, Tagab and Nijrab. They are fitted with cabin armor add-ons, with fireport. The French Army deployed this system in southern Lebanon as part of the

UNIFIL The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ( ar, قوة الأمم المتحدة المؤقتة في لبنان, he, כוח האו"ם הזמני בלבנון), or UNIFIL ( ar, يونيفيل, he, יוניפי״ל), is a UN peacekeeping m ...

peace keeping force. During

Operation Serval Operation Serval (french: Opération Serval) was a French military operation in Mali. The aim of the operation was to oust Islamic militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of Mali. Operation Serval followed the ...

in Mali, four CAESAR were deployed by the 68^e régiment d'artillerie d'Afrique (68th Artillery Regiment of Africa). In April 2011, the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's so ...

used the CAESAR against Cambodia's

BM-21 The BM-21 "Grad" (russian: БМ-21 "Град", lit= hail) is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first combat ...

. The Thai Army claimed that they destroyed two or more BM-21 systems. Several CAESAR were deployed in

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...

by France during

, in which they saw action in the Battle of Ifoghas, amongst others. France also deployed four CAESAR to Iraq for the Battle of Mosul, where French forces supported the Iraqi Army's operation to reclaim

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

from ISIL from October 2016 to July 2017. Multiple CAESAR were deployed to Iraq on the border with Syria from 8 November 2018 to April 2019 to support the

Syrian Democratic Forces , war = the Syrian Civil War , image = Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svgborder , caption = Flag , active = 10 October 2015 – present , ideology = DemocracyDecentralizationSecularism ...

in the

Battle of Baghuz Fawqani The Battle of Baghuz Fawqani was an offensive by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), assisted by Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) airstrikes, artillery, and special forces personnel, that began on 9 February ...

, the ultimately successful operation to capture the final town held by the Islamic State group. They deployed to Firebase Saham, a base freshly constructed by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

to provide fire support during the battle, especially during cloudy days when U.S. aircraft could not see to conduct airstrikes. CAESAR howitzers may have been used by Saudi Arabia in the Yemeni war against civilian targets. CAESAR howitzers were provided by France and used by Ukraine in the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Rev ...

Operators

Current operators

*: On 14 March 2017 the CAESAR 8x8 was chosen to become the new artillery system of the

Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structure ...

. 19 howitzers were purchased and installed on

trucks. 15 were delivered in 2021, with the last 4 planned to be delivered in 2023. *: The first order (for 5 howitzers) was placed on 20 September 2000. The first five units were delivered in 2003. Following the evaluation, the main order of 72 units was made in late 2004. In July 2008, the first cannon of the first series of eight was delivered to the

. Although the order had not been signed , a requirement was set for 32 more CAESAR on the Tatra 8x8 chassis to replace the last Auf1 gun by 2030Opex360; ''Artillerie : 32 CAESAR blindés remplaceront les derniers canons AUF1 en 2030 En savoir plus sur http://www.opex360.com/2015/10/24/artillerie-32-caesar-blindes-remplaceront-les-derniers-canons-auf1-en-2030/#xBBW5PRSGGXzg7iI.99''; 24 October 2015
(in French) *: The

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its r ...

acquired 37 CAESAR units for $240 million, the first two arriving in mid September 2012. Another 18 were purchased in a follow-up order signed in February 2017. *: In 2006, GIAT announced a 76-unit sale plus a 4-unit option to an unspecified foreign customer, later confirmed to be

. The 4 optional units became firm sales in January 2007, with the first two units to be assembled in France and the other 78 in Saudi Arabia. In March 2010, the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) accepted its first four of a projected 100 systems. *: The 6 CAESAR is operated by the

(RTA) from 2010, ordered in 2006, mounted on the Sherpa 6x6 truck chassis.Libération; ''Des canons français pour l'Arabie saoudite''; 20 July 2006
(in French) *: 24 howitzers as of October 2022 (additional quantity is rumored). Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, France sent 12 CAESARs to the

Ukrainian Armed Forces , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly know ...

. On 22 April 2022, 40 Ukrainian soldiers arrived in France for training on the system. Now operated by the 55th Artillery Brigade. The provision of 6 more CAESAR howitzers was announced by President Macron on 16 June 2022, bringing the total number donated to 18. On 1 October 2022, ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

'' reported that France was considering providing Ukraine with another 6 to 12 CAESAR howitzers taken from the order intended for Denmark, after an agreement between the French President and the Danish Prime Minister. 6 8x8 Variants CAESARs to be delivered in the future.

Future operators

*: Following the acquisition of the Griffon and Jaguar within the CaMo-program, Belgium decided in 2021 to order 9 CAESAR NG 6x6 howitzers in a contract of approximately €48 million. In June 2022 a €62 million contract was signed for an additional 19 CAESAR NG to be delivered between 2025 and 2027. *: In June 2020, CAESAR 8x8 won a €200 million contract for the

Czech Army The Army of the Czech Republic ( cs, Armáda České republiky, AČR), also known as the Czech Army, is the military service responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic in compliance with international obligations and treaties on collecti ...

. The Army decided to buy 52 howitzers that will be installed on the Czech Tatra 815–7T3RC1 8×8. 10 additional units ordered in December 2022. * In June 2022 Lithuania joined the CAESAR NG (Mk2) program with an order for 18 units, with first deliveries expected in 2026. * In early 2020, Morocco inked the purchase of 36 CAESAR 6x6 howitzers.

Possible future operators

–The CAESAR was offered to the Brazilian Army as part of the "VBCOAP 155mm SR" program for the acquisition of 36

Self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

Gallery

File:CAESAR (camion équipé d'un système d'artillerie) 2.jpg, On display, side profile of deployed howitzer File:CAESAR (camion équipé d'un système d'artillerie) Strasbourg.jpg, On display, close up of system File:CAESAR firing in Afghanistan.jpg, Live fire in Afghanistan, August 2009 File:Live fire exercise of CAESAR at Bagram 2009-08-14 2.JPG, CAESAR gun line in Afghanistan, August 2009 File:Live fire exercise of CAESAR at Bagram 2009-08-14 1.JPG, Preparing to load the breech in Afghanistan, August 2009 File:9th Light Armoured Marine Brigade Bastille Day 2013 Paris t114135.jpg, 9th Light Armoured Marine Brigade Bastille Day (2013) File:Caesar 6.jpg, Ukrainian artillerymen using a French-supplied CAESAR during the

References

;Citations

External links

CAESAR Renault Sherpa 5 Nexter wheeled self-propelled howitzer

CAESAR 155mm Artillery System, France

CAESAR description by Nexter Systems
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caesar Self-Propelled Howitzer Wheeled self-propelled howitzers Post–Cold War artillery of France 155 mm artillery Military vehicles introduced in the 2000s