90% of Caesar Self-Propelled Howitzer Barrels Are Delivered to Ukraine

90% of the barrels for the Caesar self-propelled howitzer, produced by the defense consortium KNDS, are supplied to Ukraine.

Le Monde reported on this.

Additionally, France has ramped up the production of the wheeled self-propelled artillery systems of this type.

The number has increased from two self-propelled howitzers leaving KNDS factories each month before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, to six, with the aim of reaching twelve by the end of 2025.

In addition, at its factory in La-Chapelle-Saint-Ursin, KNDS has also doubled the production of 155mm shells, with plans to reach 100,000 units by the end of the year.

Caesar for Ukraine

In January 2024, French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, together with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov, established an artillery coalition for Ukraine.

It was also revealed that, as part of this French initiative, 78 Caesar howitzers are planned to be purchased for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In early October, Lecornu said that the French-German defense giant KNDS had been awarded a contract to supply Ukraine with 12 Caesar self-propelled howitzers. According to the French minister, the supply of these wheeled self-propelled howitzers is financed by Ukraine.

Subsequently, BFMTV, citing the French minister, reported that France would provide Ukraine with 12 additional Caesar wheeled artillery systems, funded by €300 million from frozen Russian assets.

With these funds, the French Ministry of Armed Forces will be able to finance the purchase of 12 additional Caesar self-propelled artillery systems from KNDS.

“France has ‘returned’ €300 million of interest from frozen Russian assets to purchase military equipment for Ukraine at the end of the year, including 12 new Caesar artillery systems,” Sébastien Lecornu shared.

The French Ministry of Armed Forces noted that since the beginning of 2022, France had transferred about 60 howitzers to Ukraine, and according to the plan, that number should’ve reached 80 by the end of 2024.