Following the news that Belgium is set to procure an additional 19 CAESAR 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers (SPH), in addition to the nine units ordered last month;

Tristan Sauer, Land Domain Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Over the course of the last month, Nexter Systems has received multiple orders for its CAESAR SPH platforms from a range of international clients. As the war in Ukraine continues to highlight both the strategic importance and tactical vulnerability of artillery systems, the French CAESAR is currently one of the most desirable motorized artillery platforms on the market. Despite Nexter (formerly GIAT Industries) having designed the CAESAR 155mm SPH in the 1990s, the platform remains in demand today due to the enhanced operational and logistical mobility it has over similar systems.

“Indeed, the CAESAR is produced in both 6×6 and 8×8 variants, weighing 17.7 and 28.7 tons, respectively. The CAESER is thus sufficiently compact and lightweight to be airlifted by the C-130 or A400M transport aircraft commonly employed by armed forces worldwide. This, coupled with the growing demand for motorized platforms as the enhanced speed of counter-battery fire renders static and mechanized systems increasingly obsolete, has led to several new contracts for Nexter from the French government and other clients worldwide.

“Indeed, during the Eurosatory 2022 exhibition earlier last month, the Indonesian Army signed a multi-year in-service support (ISS) to maintain their fleet of 45 CAESARS, while both the Lithuanian and Belgian governments indicated that they would be purchasing the new CAESAR Mk II variants currently being developed as part of the French Army’s SCORPION modernization program. France will seek to purchase up to 109 Mk II variants by 2031, while the Lithuanian Army will acquire 18 platforms in 2027, and the Belgian Army will procure nine platforms as part of its CaMo 2 motorized vehicles program. The recent addition of another 19 units only further illustrates the exponential growth in demand for this particular platform.

“The CAESAR has had some notable success prior to last month, as Colombia signed a $35 million agreement to procure 12 CAESARs back in May, while, in September 2021, the Czech Republic signed a $390 million contract for 52 CAESAR 8×8 variants built using Czech firm Tatra’s domestically produced T815-7 chassis.

“Meanwhile, the Moroccan Army purchased 30 CAESARs back in late 2020 in a contract valued at an estimated $2 billion, one of the largest single orders for CAESAR platforms to date. As the market for motorized artillery continues to grow, Nexter is poised to reap the benefits of a platform first introduced almost 30 years ago, a testament to the platform’s lasting utility in a market dominated by the constant desire for truly novel concepts and systems.”