France is boosting production of its Caesar self-propelled howitzers, aiming to provide crucial support to Ukrainian forces.
During a meeting in Paris between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, discussions centered on the urgent need to ensure Ukraine’s access to essential weaponry and air defense systems. The officials visited the facilities of arms manufacturer Nexter (which is part of the European land defense systems group KNDS alongside Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann), where the Caesar artillery system is produced.
“We are at a critical moment where it is absolutely essential to provide Ukrainians with what they need for defense, especially when it comes to ammunition and air defense,” remarked Blinken during a joint press conference.
Lecornu emphasized the significance of the Caesar self-propelled howitzer, highlighting plans to ramp up production from six units to twelve units per month in the near future. The Caesar system’s ability to swiftly deploy and relocate, known as shoot-and-scoot, enhances its effectiveness on the battlefield, prioritizing mobility over sheer range as a defensive strategy against evolving threats.
The Caesar howitzer, renowned for its rapid-fire capability, can unleash six shells within a minute before swiftly relocating to a new position, minimizing vulnerability to counterattacks. Ukraine has already received 55 of these truck-mounted systems, with France supplying 36 units, including six delivered this year, and an additional 19 donated by Denmark.
Apart from the French Caesar guns, Ukraine operates a variety of artillery systems, including the American M777 towed howitzer and self-propelled platforms like the German Panzerhaubitze 2000, the Polish Krab, and Sweden’s Archer.