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Ukraine - CAESAR 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer

The selection of the CAESAR® by several partner countries, notably in Europe with Denmark, the Czech Republic, Belgium and Lithuania, shows the trust placed by customers in this cutting edge equipment, which is demonstrating its unequalled capabilities in the battlefield.

As part of military assistance, France provided Ukraine with Caesar (Camion Equipé d’un Système d’Artillerie – fr. lang. ed.) artillery mounts. The French government assured Ukraine that they would continue to supply their howitzers.France transferred to Ukraine 18 CAESAR 155mm artillery systems with a 6×6 wheel arrangement. France is also considering sending 6 to 12 improved CAESAR self-propelled artillery systems with an 8×8 wheel arrangement to Ukraine, which were assigned to Denmark.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna recalled th5at French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the response to a request from the President of Ukraine to continue French military assistance. On May 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky had a telephone conversation with the French leader . Then the head of state raised issues of defense support, sanctions against Russia, granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for joining the EU.

Paris had delivered at least 24 of its 76 CAESARs to Ukraine, along with tens of thousands of shells, including 155 BONUS cluster munitions. Developed in the 1990s and fielded starting in the late 2000s, the CAESAR is a 155mm NATO standard rapid-fire shoot and scoot platform with the capability to fire heavy artillery rounds up to 55 km.

France sent a handful of its CAESAR truck-mounted 155mm artillery guns to bolster Ukrainian forces against Russia. Western powers arming Ukraine had been reluctant to ship their more advanced weapon systems due to concern that Russia could capture and reverse engineer them. Ukraine on 15 June 2022 showed off one of its new French-made self-propelled howitzers, firing towards Russian-controlled areas, as Kyiv urges Western countries to provide more military hardware. At a secret frontline location in eastern Ukraine, soldiers from the 55th brigade artillery unit drove the camouflaged truck-mounted Caesar into a muddy field and fired off three rounds, accompanied by deafening booms and bright flashes.

In June 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported about the destruction of a cluster of invaders’ equipment: “With one volley, 6 CAESARs covered the area where the enemy had concentrated more than 15 units of weapons and military equipment. The self-propelled howitzer 2S-19 “Msta-S” of the enemy and the command and staff car of the battery commander were hit directly,” states the message on the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Facebook page.

Denmark purchased its CAESARs in 2017, receiving 15 in 2021, and planning to take delivery of the remaining four later this year. Along with France, Denmark and Ukraine, the system is operated by Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. French forces used the system during the NATO occupation of Afghanistan, and in French deployments in Mali, Iraq and Syria.

Copenhagen announced plans to transfer all 19 of its French-made CAESAR 8x8 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine on 19 January 2923. Denmark had punched well above its weight in providing military support to Kiev in recent months, sending nearly $600 million in arms, and training Ukrainian servicemen since 2016. Copenhagen has long shown a tolerance for participation in unpopular modern conflicts, taking part in the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000s.

“This is a very large and significant donation. We have been in continuous contact with the Ukrainians about Caesar artillery in particular and I am happy that we have received broad support from parliament to donate the systems to Ukraine’s freedom struggle,” Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said.

The decision to send Denmark’s entire inventory of CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine will undermine the Nordic Nation’s defenses, and rob it of a system specifically designed to suit Denmark’s defense needs, a leading Danish defense expert and government advisor has complained.

“There’s really something at stake, because now we’re not talking about things laying around in a spare parts warehouse, or constituting previous generation equipment, or other things that our [military] doesn’t really use,” Kristian Søby Kristensen, a senior researcher at the University of Copenhagen’s Center for Military Studies, told local media.

“Now we’re talking about systems that go to the core of Denmark’s defense,” the expert stressed. Kristensen, a leading Danish defense commentator who has served on nearly half a dozen government working groups on defense matters, fears Copenhagen’s decision to send its CAESARs to Ukraine will “really hurt” the country’s defense capabilities, with the howitzers serving as an important component in the rebuilding of the Danish military.

“There was a reason our military chose to buy these French guns. It is a product tailored to the needs of the Danish military. They can probably find some different guns, but the problem is that the entire planet is out ordering military equipment, which means pressure on production. It’s not like you can just find 19 alternative guns,” the observer said.

The Danish government confirmed that the delivery of its CAESARs to Ukraine would mean a delay in the formation a 4,000-troop strong elite heavy infantry brigade, known as the 1st Brigade, but promised that work was already underway to find a replacement for the French-made howitzers.

The heavy artillery system highly prized for its accuracy is part of the new arsenal of modern weaponry provided to Ukraine by multiple countries since Russia invaded on February 24. President Emmanuel Macron pledged to send several systems in April, later telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that arms supplies from Paris would "increase in intensity". Around forty Ukrainian soldiers arrived in France for training. They could join Draguignan then the Canjuers camp, the usual training site for French artillerymen.

France will provide Ukraine with six more Caesar self-propelled artillery units. Earlier, the French provided 12 such howitzers. This was stated 16 June 2022 during a visit to Kyiv by French President Emmanuel Macron. "In addition to the already delivered 12 Caesar, I decided to put six extra," he said.

A French political commentator claimed that two of them were captured intact and sent to Russia, possibly to be reverse engineered. “Thank you, Macron,” Regis de Castelnau said. A Russian arms manufacturer appeared to confirm the claim – or at least clap back at its French competition. “Please, send our thanks to President Macron for the gifted self-propelled guns,” the Uralvagonzavod account said in Russian. It jokingly added that the French weapons were “so-so,” unlike the Russian plant’s products, but said it could find a way to use the foreign hardware nevertheless: “Bring us more, we’ll dismantle [them].” The remark didn’t offer any evidence of the claim.

French Gaullist politician Florian Filippo announced the "humiliation" of the country's President Emmanuel Macron after the news of the loss of Caesar self-propelled artillery mounts by Ukrainian troops provided by Paris. "Russia seized two Caesar guns sent to Ukraine! Loss of ten million and free transfer of technology! Macron is guilty of this humiliating and costly beating. Let him go!" he wrote.

French politician Geoffrey Bolle announced the ruin of the country's army after the news of the loss of Caesar self-propelled artillery mounts by Ukraine. “Not only was our Armed Forces robbed, but our advanced ground technologies are now in the hands of the Russians (incompetence of the Ukrainian army or corruption?). Macron is the only one who is responsible for this humiliating fiasco ", he wrote.

There was no official confirmation that any CAESAR guns actually got into Russia’s hands or evidence that this was the case. The General Staff of the French Armed Forces refuted the information about the capture by Russia of French self-propelled artillery installations (ACS) Caesar in Ukraine. This was reported by a spokesman for the French General Staff. "This information is false. We categorically reject it," the source said. "We have discussed this with our Ukrainian partner," he added.

Denmark - Caesar artillery

Denmark's Acting Defense Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, confirmed 10 April 2023 that in May 2023 Ukraine might receive as many as 17 Caesar artillery pieces, on which the Ukrainian military has already started training at facilities in Denmark. The government, with broad support from the Danish Parliament, will donate artillery systems to Ukraine. In parallel with the donation, the government will immediately look at the possibilities for a rapid acquisition of new capacities.

The defense's future CEASAR artillery is to be donated to Ukraine. The government consulted with the Danish Parliament about this at the meeting of the Foreign Policy Council on January 19, 2023. "This is a very large and significant donation. We have been in continuous contact with the Ukrainians about Caesar artillery in particular and I am happy that we have now received broad support from the Danish Parliament to donate it to Ukraine's freedom struggle. There is no doubt that it is needed, even if there are still technical issues with the system," says Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen. The government chose to donate all of the Defence's 19 French-produced Caesar artillery pieces to Ukraine. Caesar 8X8 155mm Howitzer artillery system can fire six rounds in under a minute. The donation will be accompanied by a training and education package for the Ukrainians.

"I am happy that a broad majority of the parties in the Folketing support the donation. From the start of the war in Ukraine, Denmark has been among the most active donor countries. We must continue to be. At the same time, we must find a balance between helping Ukraine and continuing to strengthen the Danish defense so that we can safeguard Denmark's security and live up to our obligations in NATO," says Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.

The donation will cause a delay in the construction of Denmark's 1st brigade. Therefore, the government was looking at the possibilities of launching a rapid acquisition of new capacities in parallel with the donation. This is a newly developed artillery system that is still being implemented in the Danish defence. There are still a number of technical challenges with the system, which will have to be handled in cooperation with the manufacturer and Ukraine. Ukraine has requested the artillery despite these challenges.

Courses in demining on land and at sea and training of Ukrainian soldiers in the CAESAR artillery system, which Denmark has donated. Denmark wants to stand for this in the framework of the EU's military training mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine). "Since the beginning of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, Denmark has made significant contributions to Ukraine's freedom struggle. We will continue with that. With this contribution, Denmark emphasizes that we take our share of the responsibility for European security seriously. There is a great need to train Ukrainian soldiers and support Ukraine's defense against the continued Russian attacks. Denmark has trained the Ukrainian defense both before and after the invasion, and can therefore also contribute with great experience in relation to the EU mission," says Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said 20 March 2023.

After the abolition of the EU defense reservation, it became possible for Denmark to participate in the EU's military missions and operations. This also applies to the EU's military training mission in support of Ukraine, which forms a solid framework for the EU countries' training of Ukrainian forces in the nearby areas. The purpose of the mission is to bring together the training activities of the member states so that increased collective support for Ukraine's defense against Russia can be coordinated. It is planned that future relevant Danish training activities will also become part of the mission.

"The EU is becoming a more and more important actor in security policy. Since the Danes abolished the defense reservation, we can now fully participate in European cooperation on security and defence. By signing up for the EU's military training mission, we show that Denmark, also in the EU, is ready to shoulder our responsibility for Europe's security and defense as well as Ukraine's freedom struggle. The value of our material donations and the difference they make on the battlefield increases significantly when we also train Ukrainian soldiers in how to use the equipment," Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said 20 March 2023.