2 February 2024 – The French MOD’s defence procurement and technology agency (DGA) has awarded Nexter, company of KNDS, a contract for 109 CAESAR MkII. The first delivery is scheduled for 2026.
More mobile, better protected, and integrated into the SCORPION combat information system, the CAESAR MkII has been under development since December 2021.
An unprecedented order to strengthen the French artillery
The DGA announced the order for 109 CAESAR 6×6 MkII, a new version currently under development. Thanks to this order planned in the 2024-2030 defence programming law (LPM), the CAESAR 6×6 MkII will first replace the AUF1 self-propelled howitzer at the end of its operational service and gradually phase out the CAESAR 6×6 MkI of the army. The French artillery will thus have an unprecedented capability since the introduction of the CAESAR 6×6 system in 2008. This order also includes support for the CAESAR MkII during their first two years of use. The development of the CAESAR MkII was launched in December 2021, as announced by the French Prime Minister Jean Castex in Roanne.
The DGA and Nexter, a KNDS company, have also signed a framework agreement allowing France to acquire CAESAR and support services on behalf of partner countries.
