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France Directs Up to 90% of Caesar Howitzer Barrels to Ukraine

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
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France Directs Up to 90% of Caesar Howitzer Barrels to Ukraine
CAESAR barrels at the Nexter factory in Bourget, February 2023. (Source: ALAIN GASTAL/FRANCEINFO)

French defense manufacturer KNDS is now sending 90% of its Caesar howitzer barrels to Ukraine, according to a report by French news outlet Le Monde on April 20.

This highlights France’s growing role in supporting Ukraine’s artillery forces amid Russia’s full-scale war.

The production of Caesar self-propelled howitzers—mounted on wheeled chassis—has also ramped up significantly.

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, KNDS was rolling out just two units a month. That number has since increased to six and is expected to reach twelve per month by the end of 2025.

Ukrainian soldiers of the 55th Artillery Brigade leave position with CAESAR self-propelled howitzer after firing on Russian troops on June 1, 2024, in Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Source: Getty Images)
Ukrainian soldiers of the 55th Artillery Brigade leave position with CAESAR self-propelled howitzer after firing on Russian troops on June 1, 2024, in Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Source: Getty Images)

At its La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin plant, KNDS has doubled its output of 155mm shells and is aiming to produce 100,000 shells by the end of this year.

France has already delivered 60 Caesar systems to Ukraine since early 2022, with plans to raise the total to 80 by the end of 2024, according to a previous statement from the French Ministry of Defense.

The Caesar howitzer, mounted on a wheeled chassis, is renowned for its mobility and rapid deployment capabilities. It features a 155mm gun capable of firing up to six rounds per minute with a range of approximately 42 kilometers.

These attributes have made it a valuable asset for Ukrainian forces in counter-battery operations and other combat scenarios.​

KNDS has also launched a subsidiary in Ukraine, in October of 2024. KNDS opened KNDS Ukraine LLC in Kyiv, which will facilitate collaboration with Ukrainian governmental institutions and defense industry companies.

The new subsidiary will assist the Ukrainian defense sector in effectively conducting maintenance, repair, and overhaul of equipment manufactured by KNDS. The support will extend to various systems, including Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks, CAESAR self-propelled howitzers, PzH 2000 artillery systems, and AMX 10RC armored vehicles.

Earlier, reports emerged that the French Forges de Tarbes facility was racing to keep up with soaring demand, with a key focus on scaling up production of 155 mm shell bodies for Ukraine and the rearmament of European forces.

“We went from nearly shutting down in 2022 to producing close to 60,000 shell bodies in 2024,” Europlasma CEO Jérôme Garnache-Creuillot said.

“Right now, we’re making around 2,000 shells a week, and by year’s end, we aim for 15,000 a month.”

Garnache-Creuillot added that Russia is believed to churn out around 50,000 shells daily.

The Tarbes facility, which is operated by the French company Europlasma and employs 80 people, aims to double its output. It remains the only site in France producing these hollow shell bodies, which are then sent to defense giant KNDS (formerly Nexter) to be filled with explosives.

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