On December 14, 2022, the Czech Ministry of Defense (MoD) signed an additional order of 10 French-made Nexter CAESAR 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers. Previously, the Czech MoD had already ordered 52 CAESAR howitzers in 2021.
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French-made Nexter CAESAR 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer based on Czech-made TATRA 8x8 truck chassis. (Picture source Army Recognition)
In September 2019, announced the acquisition of 52 French-made CAESAR 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers in 8x8 configurations. According to a delivery plan, the first CAESAR howitzer will enter into service with the Czech army in 2024 with delivery until 2026.
The acquisition of the 52 CAESAR howitzers was approved by the Czech Ministry of Defense on September 1, 2021. The value of this contract is around €288 million. Now with the 10 additional CAESAR howitzers, the contract will reach an amount of around €425 million.
According to the contract, the first four CAESAR howitzers will be assembled in France, while the remaining 48 howitzers will be assembled by Czech companies directly in the Czech Republic.
The CAESAR howitzer will replace the old DANA 8x8 152mm self-propelled howitzers which have been in service for more than forty years with the Czech army and are beyond the limit of their technical service life.
The DANA uses a 152mm cannon, and with the acquisition of the CAESAR which uses a 155mm cannon, the Czech army will have an artillery system that is at NATO standard compliant.
The Czech Republic joins NATO on March 12, 1999, and for several years has launched a modernization plan for its armed forces. Despite some modernization, the Czech Armed Forces have not yet received enough modern military equipment in line with NATO standards.
The Czech Republic has ordered the CAESAR 155mm howitzers in 8X8 configuration which is designed and developed by the French company Nexter Systems. The howitzer will be based on a Czech-made Tatra Trucks chassis.
The main armament of the Nexter CAESAR 8x8 consists of one 155mm/52 cal gun which is also mounted on the 6x6 version of the CAESAR. It has a firing range from 4.5 to 40 km with standard ammunition and 55 km using VLAP (Very Long-range Artillery Projectile) rounds. It can be also used against land targets at a maximum range of 2 km.
