Such a statement was recently made by the Minister of Armed Forces of France, Sébastien Lecornu. "Nexter has increased the monthly production of Caesar artillery systems from two to six since the onset of the war (referring to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by russia in February 2022), with the future goal of 12 howitzers per month," Lecornu noted.
He's emphasizing that currently, all Caesar vehicles are intended for Ukraine and for replenishing the reserves of the French military.
Read more: KNDS to Establish Enterprise in Ukraine: Why It's About Leopard 2, Caesar, and Ammunition Simultaneously
Sébastien Lecornu does not disclose details regarding how quickly they plan to double the production of Caesar howitzers, but it can be assumed that it will involve a gradual increase in production. It is worth reminding that earlier it was reported that the production rate of Caesar was expected to increase to eight units per month at the beginning of this year.
It is also worth noting that at Nexter, they have already worked on the creation of spare parts inventories to protect themselves from potential disruptions and shortages in supplies, and apparently, they are ready to take further steps to expand production, as reported by Zone Militaire.
This news is important for Ukraine in the context of the artillery coalition, which involves the purchase of 78 vehicles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, six of which have already been delivered earlier this year. As of today, the military has a total of 55 of these self-propelled artillery systems in service.
Meanwhile, as noted in Defense News, the French company emphasizes the mobility of these vehicles in the context of their experience operating them on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Ukraine has lost less than 10% of the truck-mounted Caesar howitzers it received from France and Denmark, with greater mobility resulting in a higher survival rate than for some other self-propelled or towed systems, according to French manufacturer KNDS Nexter.
It is worth noting that as of today, researchers from Oryx have recorded four destroyed Caesar 6x6 vehicles (and three more damaged) and one additional 8x8.
Losses for some other self-propelled or towed systems in Ukraine’s war with russia amount to nearly 30%, the company said.
“Use of drones and loitering munitions has become a real threat 40 kilometers from the front, where the Caesar operates. Its light weight and ability to leave its position in less than a minute to avoid counter-battery fire are therefore major assets,” Nexter said in the statement.
Read more: France Promised Drones for Ukraine, Now Considers Using Them, Too
