Lithuania has signed a contract to acquire 18 French Caesar Mk II 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers.

French newspaper La Tribune reported about this.

Lithuania became the third country after France and Belgium to order the Caesar Mk II variant howitzer manufactured by Nexter.

In June of this year, during the Eurosatory exhibition, Lithuania and France signed a protocol of intent on this artillery system.

According to the French edition, Nexter will soon officially announce the signing of the agreement.

The newest French Caesar Mk II is an advanced version of the previous Caesar version using a 155mm gun with a 52 calibers barrel, mounted at the rear of the wheeled chassis.

The maximum fire range with standard ammunition is 40 km.

The updated French self-propelled howitzer will receive new improvements for better crew protection and mobility.

The Mk II will receive an armored cabin with improved ballistic protection against small arms and mine blast, as well as a 460 horsepower diesel engine, a new automatic transmission and a new wheel chassis manufactured by ARQUUS.

In addition, Caesar Mk II will have the latest version of fire control software installed with the ability to integrate the Contact radio.

The Caesar ACS is a French wheeled 155 mm self-propelled gun with a 52 calibers barrel. Rate of fire amounts to 6 rounds per minute.

The howitzer can also fire a wide range of 155mm artillery ammunition, including Excalibur or Vulcano type GPS-guided precision projectiles.