The Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic is threatening to freeze payments to French manufacturer KNDS and may even cancel its order of 62 CAESAR 8×8 wheeled self-propelled howitzers. The warning comes after disappointing results from tests of the first two units received under the contract, according to the Czech news media Novinky.cz.
Czech officials had hoped the CAESARs would bring modern firepower and long-range strike capability. However, the first systems failed to achieve the advertised 40 km range and could not perform MRSI firing — a technique where multiple shells land simultaneously on a single target by varying barrel elevation and timing.
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To make matters worse, France did not provide the necessary fire control tables. Without them, Czech forces cannot verify whether the systems meet NATO standards — a critical gap in documentation for a system already partially delivered.
Another serious problem lies in the fire control system itself. The CAESAR 8×8 for Czechia was equipped with the German-made Adler III system, which turned out to be incompatible with Czech-made 155mm ammunition. And yet, Prague had already spent additional 310 million crowns (€12.6 million) on acquiring the system.
So far, Czechia has paid 7 billion crowns (€285 million) in advance and is expected to transfer another billion (€40 million) in 2025. But these technical and logistical issues are raising doubts about whether the deal should proceed as planned. Interestingly, the country is still continuing the production of 65,000 Polica 155mm shells for the CAESAR system at the STV Group's facilities, even as the howitzer itself undergoes scrutiny.
Defense Express emphasizes that despite the frustration, the Czech Ministry of Defense does not appear ready to walk away from the deal. Instead, it seems intent on pressuring KNDS to resolve the issues and deliver the full batch. One likely reason: the Czech Army urgently needs to replace its current fleet of 48 DANA howitzers, and sourcing 62 modern SPHs from alternative suppliers on short notice would be extremely difficult.
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