The Caesar Self-Propelled Howitzer is a 155-mm artillery piece developed by former GIAT Industries for the French Army. Today, it is manufactured by Nexter Systems and exported to NATO countries, which include Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, and Czech Republic. The French Army has 109 Caesar howitzers in its arsenal but sent about 20 of them over to Ukraine.
It has been in service since 2004 and it saw combat action for the first time in Afghanistan. It has also been deployed in Mali, during Operation Serval, Iraq, and Lebanon. In Iraq, the French forces used this mobile artillery piece in support of the Iraqi Army to recapture Mosul from ISIS in 2017. In Ukraine, it has been used intensely and six of them have been destroyed by Russian drones.
Below, the French mobile artillery piece in Mali.
Technical Description
The Caesar self-propelled howitzer is basically the French TRF1 towed-artillery mounted on a modified chassis of a 6x6 Renault TRM-10000 truck. It has an automatic shell-loading mechanism and an integrated fire control system, which can be connected to any C4I. Being mounted on a truck chassis makes it possible to quickly escape from the enemy counter-battery.
Fitted with inertial navigation system and a ballistic computer, it is extremely effective at providing fire support to front line infantry units. It has a high rate of fire, with six rounds per minute and first round on target. It can fire Base Bleed ERFB ammunition to a distance of 45 km. It can immediately be set up for action in less than one minute.
Specifications
Type: self-propelled howitzer
Combat Weight: 17.7 tons
Length: 10 m
Width: 2.55 m
Height: 3.7 m
Power Plant: one 264-HP, Renault 9.8-liter diesel engine.
Speed: 100 km/h on road
Range: 600 km
Howitzer Caliber: 155-mm
Howitzer Barrel Length: 7 m (L/52)
Elevation: -6 to +66 degrees.
Below, two side views of the Caesar in different places.
