Zaluzhnyi: 155 mm Caesar howitzer enters Ukrainian arsenal

The Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) noted that it takes 2-3 hours for the military to master the howitzer. This is the longest howitzer that can destroy targets at a distance of 42 km. The howitzer is mounted on a self-transparent installation, which allows it to be quickly moved to war zones.

Caesar howitzer

The French Caesar howitzer is a new generation self-propelled artillery system (SAP). Targets must be located at a distance of 20 km from the battle line or more. The gun provides high accuracy. Weapons of this class are designed to destroy artillery and reserves, as well as enemy command. An accurate strike on these targets can reduce the enemy's offensive potential.

Thanks to the wheeled chassis, the howitzers are mobile and manoeuvrable. The system is equipped with a homing and automated binding system. The rate of fire is 5 rounds per minute, which ensures a high rate of fire. It is designed for several types of 155 mm ammunition.

The Caesar is designed for crew comfort and survivability in combat conditions, as it implies continuous combat operations with manoeuvring. This reduces the risk of the enemy blowing up the howitzer.

Technical specifications

The Caesar wheeled self-propelled gun was developed to replace towed guns due to the perceived high risk of being covered by enemy counter-battery fire. The system now includes a Renault Sherpa wheeled chassis. The crew compartment is armoured and protects against bullets of up to 7.62 mm calibre and shell fragments. The cabin is equipped with an air conditioning system.

Equipment and ammunition

The system is equipped with the Sigma-30 automated system, which includes the NAVSTAR navigator, as well as a ballistic control unit and radar. The gun guidance is fully automatic. The gun feeding system is also automatic. The drives of the guidance system are hydraulic and manual auxiliary. The maximum rate of fire is 6 rounds per minute.
Direct fire is provided at a range of 2 km. For these purposes, high-explosive, incendiary, active-reactive and cluster munitions, and homing anti-tank shells can be used. When using Excalibur shells, the range is up to 46 km.

The set of the self-propelled gun is 18 rounds.
The range is 600 km. It can be transported by cargo aircraft.

Advantages:

• strategic manoeuvring;
• long range of fire;
• low operating costs.

Disadvantages:

• small ammunition;
• Lack of protection during counter-battery fire;
• Poor off-road performance.