Ukrainian soldiers hail CAESAR artillery for its precision and range
Ukrainian soldiers gave an interview in which they shared their impressions of using the French CAESAR self-propelled artillery. What is their opinion about this weapon?
CAESAR (French: CAmion Équipé d’un Système d’ARtillerie) is an artillery gun mounted on a truck chassis, which provides it with high mobility. Despite certain limitations, such as lacking an armoured cabin (in the basic variant), this system has generated considerable interest from many countries. It has proven to be a significant enhancement for the Ukrainian army.
Ukrainians praise CAESAR
Beyond its mobility, one of the greatest strengths of this French artillery is its long firing range—up to 40 kilometres using shells with a gas generator and up to 80 kilometres using Vulcano GLR sub-calibre shells. Ukrainian soldiers also emphasise these features significantly.
"A big advantage is the axle spacing, which makes the set very manoeuvrable. Additionally, the rate of fire, the ability to cooperate with navigation equipment and the occupation of the firing position within a few minutes. And the ability to use precise, state-of-the-art ammunition," said the commander of a unit equipped with the CAESAR self-propelled artillery in an interview with the Army TV channel on YouTube.
Denmark gives away CAESARs and regrets it
The CAESARs arrive on the front mainly from France. In March of this year, Paris announced another aid package, including as many as 78 more CAESAR self-propelled artillery and 80,000 155 mm shells. In 2023, Denmark decided to transfer all its CAESAR self-propelled artillery to Ukraine, which resulted in severe issues for the Danish armed forces. Copenhagen, wanting to support Kyiv, completely deprived itself of self-propelled artillery. Quick replenishment of the shortfall was supposed to be ensured by Israeli ATMOS 2000 and PULS systems. Still, it turned out that their implementation into service was much more complicated and costly than initially anticipated.
It's worth mentioning that Danish CAESARs differ slightly from the French ones. They are a modern version based on the Tatra 8x8 chassis (instead of Renault 6x6) and equipped with an armoured cabin and an automatic loading system.
Regardless of the version, CAESAR can fire in MRSI mode and accelerate to speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour on the road, making it a difficult target for opponents.
