The 'star' of the show at the military exercise at Canjuers Camp in Var, France, was a weapon that has already proven its worth in one of Europe's worst conflicts since World War II, and the audience was visibly impressed.
For some twenty minutes, parachute artillerymen supported by a Thales reconnaissance drone carried out rapid manoeuvres and live firing at Western Europe's largest firing range with the 155-mm gun, mounted on 6×6-wheel and 8×8-wheel trucks.
Their audience? Military delegations from countries already equipped with, interested in or in the process of acquiring the Caesar gun, produced by the French Nexter group.
Up to six rounds in under a minute with a 40-km range
This fearsome self-propelled gun, which gained credibility and notoriety after Paris ceded some to Kyiv, is capable of firing six rounds in less than a minute at a range of up to 40 kilometers. Moreover, it has a refueling time of about five to six minutes, compared with around 30 for its tracked rivals.
"The demonstration was a real eye-opener,” said Belgian artillery specialist Lieutenant-Colonel David Manunta, “because it allowed us to address the questions we had about the impact of the Caesar on deployment. ”
“It’s different to see it on paper than to go and see it in the field,” General Alain Lardet, deputy head of Planning and Programmes at the French Army General Staff, commented.
Belgium in negotiations to order 19 more
The simulation, carried out on 12 December in pristine Provençal scrubland, also featured an inflatable Caesar decoy designed by Czech company Inflatech, which produces heat capable of fooling the enemy’s infrared sensors.
Belgium, which entered into a strategic interoperability partnership with France in 2018, is keen to “boost its artillery.” It has already signed a contract for nine Caesar new-generation (NG) guns, and “negotiations are reportedly underway” for “a new order for 19 pieces,” said Belgian Colonel Marc Bastin, who heads the Synthesis Bureau of the Land component.
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“For the moment, we only have light howitzers and mortars, so with the arrival of the Caesar gun, we’ll be giving the Belgian artillery back its letters of nobility,” added the military staff officer.
'Caesar Club' launched
The demonstration took place as part of the launch of the ‘Caesar Club’ by Nexter, which is part of the Franco-German KNDS group. The aim of the club is “to regularly bring together the entire community of Caesar gun users” in order to “share operational feedback, difficulties and areas for improvement,” Nexter’s Artillery General Manager, Olivier Fort explained.
A few hours earlier, military representatives from several foreign delegations that have already acquired the Caesar signed the club’s founding charter at the Artillery Museum in Draguignan. Signatories included Thailand (six guns), Saudi Arabia (132), the Czech Republic (62) and Lithuania (18).
European and South American prospects were also present.
Mobility, economy and speed
The Caesar, which General Lardet described as “the sniper’s gun,” stands out from the others in the field thanks to its mobility, frugality, relatively low consumption and external signalling, and its ability to fire quickly, accurately, and to leave the area quickly.
For the French general, a former commander of the French Foreign Legion, this ability to withdraw quickly, which justifies the Caesar’s success, “is what is at stake today in counter-battery fire” (the elimination of enemy artillery), because “a piece that stays in place is a piece that will no longer withdraw in modern conflicts”: it will have been destroyed.
At the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the French army was equipped with 76 of these models. It now aims to have 109 by 2030. The Ukrainians, to whom France gave or sold 36 Caesars to counter the Russian invasion, did not send any representatives for this 'Caesar Club' demonstration.
