United to win: France to give Ukraine 12 Caesar self-propelled guns funded by frozen Russian assets

France will provide Ukraine with 12 additional wheeled Caesar artillery systems funded by Russia's frozen assets.

Militarnyi reported this with reference to the BFMTV publication.

According to the Minister of the French Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, France's transfer of additional artillery systems became possible thanks to the receipt of frozen Russian assets worth 300 million euros.

With this funding, the French Ministry of Defense can buy 12 more Caesar self-propelled guns from KNDS.

"France 'returned' 300 million euros of interest from frozen Russian assets for the purchase of military equipment for Ukraine at the end of the year, including 12 new Caesar artillery systems," Lecornu said.

The French Ministry of Defense noted that since the beginning of 2022, France has transferred 67 guns to Ukraine, and according to the plan, this number should be 80 by the end of 2024.

The minister also noted that these funds will be enough for the purchase of:

• additional 155-mm artillery shells,
• Aster-30 anti-aircraft missiles,
• AASM aviation precision bombs,
• portable Mistral anti-aircraft missile systems, along with new missiles.

The KNDS enterprise will be able to fulfill this order much faster since they have increased their production rate of artillery systems and have received more export orders.

The company Nexter reported that it has increased the production rate of Caesar self-propelled howitzers to six units per month and continues to increase it significantly.

The French company KNDS has a portfolio of orders for 353 Caesar wheeled self-propelled artillery systems, which are part of the overall order from export customers. Among the largest customers are France (125 ACS ordered) and Ukraine (72 ACS ordered).

In addition to the European nations already placing orders for the French systems, Armenia has also requested 36 artillery systems in the Mk.1 version.

For reference:

The Caesar self-propelled gun is considered the "flagship of French artillery." It boasts a 155 mm caliber and up to 42 km firing range. It also has the impressive capability of firing six shots per minute.

Contactless detonators for Caesar self-propelled guns allow projectiles to be detonated in mid-air without physically contacting a target or surface.

The artillery unit can move at a speed of 80 km/h on the road and 50 km/h off-road.

The Caesar howitzer can utilize various 155-mm NATO shells, including cluster rounds.

Belgium is preparing to deliver three Caesar self-propelled artillery installations to Ukraine.

The Artillery Coalition to Strengthen the Ukrainian Army began operating in the French capital of Paris on January 1. Ukraine aims to acquire additional Caesar self-propelled artillery and ammunition and incorporate artificial intelligence into its control systems.

The "coalition of artillery" was officially established in Paris on January 18th to strengthen Ukraine's defense against Russia. Led by France and the USA, this coalition functions under the Rammstein format within the  Ukraine Defense Contact Group framework.

Twenty-three countries will join the "artillery coalition." The coalition aims to "join forces to help Ukraine have artillery—in the short and long term," explained the French Ministry of Defense.

On January 18, in the afternoon, Rustem Umerov and his French colleague Sebastien Lecornu were scheduled to tour the Nexter industrial facilities in Bourges, where they manufacture Caesar self-propelled artillery units and the MBDA missile ship in Sel-Saint-Denis.

In Ukraine, Danish Caesar self–propelled howitzers were deployed for combat operations.