Estonia Orders 12 CAESAR 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers From France
On June 19, the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) signed a contract with the French Procurement Agency (DGA) to procure 12 6×6 chassis CAESAR type 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers from the Franco-German defense giant KNDS, in accordance with the Tallinn government’s National Defence Development Plan. This important agreement, which strengthens Estonia and France’s strategic partnership and increases interoperability between NATO Land Forces, was signed during the Eurosatory defence fair, which is held every two years at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre in Paris, France’s capital.
According to a statement issued by the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI) press center, under the terms of the agreement, the cost of which was not disclosed, KNDS will deliver the first six howitzers, as well as the necessary training and spare parts packages, to the Estonian Defense Forces by the end of 2024, with the remaining six units arriving in 2025. KNDS’s French arm Nexter currently has an ambitious CAESAR production program for countries such as Ukraine, France, Armenia and Lithuania, in addition to Estonia. Despite this intensive program, the early delivery schedule for Estonia is due to the company tripling its production line by 2024.
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said that they were pleased that the CAESAR deliveries could be delivered within the timeframe. General Emeric Wininger, DGA Director for Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America, emphasized that KNDS France’s strengthened production line enables the quick delivery of the first deliveries.
With the arrival of these advanced artillery systems, the Estonian Land Forces will have a second type of self-propelled artillery, as they currently rely solely on the South Korean K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled howitzer. The CAESARs will be integrated into the newly formed third self-propelled artillery battalion, which will report to the Estonian division. If Estonia is satisfied with these artillery systems, it has the option under the contract to purchase up to six additional howitzers and expand the artillery battalion in the future.
ECDI Strategic Category Manager (Armaments) Ramil Lipp stated that CAESARs are the best possible solution for Estonia, considering their reliability and effectiveness in various armed conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, and said, “For us, cooperation with France in developing indirect fire capability is important, as well as the fact that we will receive the systems quickly and be able to integrate them with the domestic fire support system TOORU,”
CAESAR is a 155-mm mobile artillery gun system that has been in service with the French Army since 2003. These howitzers, which have been exported to more than ten countries, have proven themselves in a variety of conflict environments around the world, such as military operations in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq and Mali. The French Artillery system, which can be mounted on a 6×6 or 8×8 truck chassis depending on the user’s request, has an 18-round capacity and is typically operated by a crew of five or three. CAESAR howitzers can fire six to eight rounds per minute, and while their effective range varies depending on the rounds used, they can successfully hit targets from an average distance of 40 kilometers. However, according to Nexter, Caesar stands out for being the world’s lightest 155mm self-propelled gun, weighing only 18 tons, in addition to the features mentioned above. Caesar, which can be set up and ready for duty in about a minute, can recover and leave the area seconds after being fired. Thanks to this artillery tactic known as fire-and-move, the system can survive threats at a higher rate when faced with howitzers with less mobility on the battlefield.