According to a video published on November 16, 2022, by the Kaskad military unit, a pro-Russian militia, part of the Interior Ministry of DNR (Donetsk People's Republic), a French-made CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzer donated by France to the Ukraine army would have been destroyed by a Lancet drone.
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A video published on the VK Social Network shows the destruction of Ukrainian army CAESAR 155m howitzers by a Lancet drone. (Picture source VK Social Network via a video of Telegram account Kaskad unit)
The Lancet is a series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and loitering munitions developed by Russian company ZALA Aero Group for the Russian Armed Forces. Two versions of the Lancet have been developed by Zala including the Lancet-1 and Lancet-3.
According to open source information, Russian troops deployed in Ukraine use an upgraded version of the Lancet loitering munitions with an increased flight duration of one hour and a more powerful warhead weighing more than five kilograms. To destroy combat vehicles, the Lancet drone is equipped with a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead. It has a maximum range of 40 km and a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of up to 12 kg.
The destruction of CAESAR howitzers used by the Ukrainian army is a priority for the Russian armed forces because it is capable of firing GPS-guided shells at a range from 4.5 to 40 km and has a high level of accuracy with the LU ammunition family.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, France has already delivered 18 CAESAR, 155mm 6x6 wheeled self-propelled howitzers coming from the military inventory of the French army and manufactured by the French company Nexter Systems.
The 155mm Nexter LU 211 HE shell provides a long hollow base or a Base Bleed. It can engage targets at a range of 30 km with NATO standard 155mm/39 caliber guns (M109, M198…) and up to 40km with 155mm/52caliber guns (CAESAR, PzH 2000…). France has delivered tens of thousands of shells to Ukraine including LU 211 HE shells, BONUS munitions, and Ralec proximity fuses.
The 6x6 155mm self-propelled howitzer CAESAR is based on a military 6x6 truck chassis Sherpa manufactured by the French company ARQUUS, previously Renault Trucks Defense. The 155 mm gun system is mounted at the rear of the truck chassis with a crew cab at the front which can be armored to provide ballistic protection against small caliber bullets and artillery shell splinters.
