Taking its name from the acronym of "CAmion Équipé d'un Système d'ARtillerie", meaning
"truck equipped with an artillery system", the CAESAR is the one that has opened a new
era.
Its combat and market achievements have reshaped artillery concepts in modern armies.
As Weapon Detective, we are now investigating the CAESAR, the founder of the truck-mounted
howitzer empire.
The CAESAR is undoubtedly one of the best and most mediatic truck-mounted howitzers,
or shortly TMH.
In some respect, many may see it as the next step in the evolution of towed and self-propelled
artillery.
But before we say "veni, vidi, vici", we should carefully analyse this transformation.
In the early 1990s, the French state-owned company GIAT Industries, today Nexter, began
to work on a new concept self-propelled howitzer, or shortly SPH, as a technology demonstrator,
in cooperation with Lohr Industrie.
The new system would have quick repositioning capability to avoid counter-battery fire and
better mobility than towed artillery.
Also, it would be lighter than a conventional SPH, which would allow being carried by a
military transport aircraft, such as the C-130 or C-160.
It would be a wheeled SPH, which offers better mobility on the widespread highways, lower
fuel consumption and lower production and life-cycle costs.
The GIAT engineers preferred the most uncomplicated way of thinking and decided to mount a howitzer
on a truck rather than tow it.
This preference paved the way for the birth of a new weapon system type, TMH.
Of course, before the Frenchs, some other countries had already been interested in mounting
artillery pieces on trucks.
But, they had worked on different and more complex solutions.
For example, the Yugoslavian NORA-B and the Soviet MSTA-K were truck-based systems.
But, the engineers of these countries had not intended to create a new mobile artillery
system to fill the gap between towed artillery and heavy SPHs.
The NORA-B and MSTA-K were just the simplified counterparts of the wheeled DANA, which was
also Tatra T-815 truck-based.
GIAT unveiled its revolutionary design called CAESAR in 1994.
The early pre-production variant of the CAESAR was the 6x6 UNIMOG U2450L truck-based.
Following company trials, the French Army tested the TMH in 1998.
Two years later, France ordered the first five CAESAR.
They were also UNIMOG U2450L truck-based and delivered in 2003.
Following the evaluation, France ordered 72 Sherpa 5 6x6 truck-based CAESARs in 2004.
Saudi Arabia became the first export customer of the TMH.
The Saudi Arabian variants are also UNIMOG U2450L truck-based.
The later customers of the CAESAR preferred the Sherpa 5 and Tatra T-815 trucks.
The TMH has a suitable size and weight for being carried by the C-130 transport aircraft
or the CH-53 heavy-lift transport helicopter.
The CAESAR is designed for use on roads, but thanks to its 6x6 drive and central tire inflation
system, it also has fair cross-country mobility.
Still, it cannot follow tanks on rough terrains, like tracked SPHs.
The 155mm gun is an upgraded version of the 155 mm TR F1 gun and has a 52 calibre barrel
and a 23-litre chamber.
After stopping, the CAESAR become ready to fire within less than 1 minute.
Before firing, a large spade is hydraulically lowered at the rear, and four rear wheels
are raised clear of the ground to stabilize the TMH.
CAESAR carries 18 rounds which are loaded automatically.
On the other hand, the propelling charges are placed into the chamber manually.
Thanks to its advanced fire control system, the barrel is elevated and traversed automatically
according to the target's data.
Also, the vehicle can determine its exact location via GPS.
There is the ROB4 muzzle velocity radar on the gun.
Combining these features, the CAESAR can send the rounds on the target accurately.
It can also fire the M982 Excalibur and BONUS munitions.
The Excalibur is a GPS- and inertial-guided munition.
It has a range of approximately 60 kilometres with a circular error probable of 4 metres.
The BONUS is an artillery cluster munition designed for long-range, indirect fire top
attack roles against armoured vehicles.
It can travel up to 35 kilometres.
The CAESAR also has direct fire capability within a range of 2,000 metres.
There is also a temperature control device that advises the crew if the gun is getting
too hot and when there is a danger of a cook off.
After the firing mission is completed, the CAESAR can leave its position within less
than 40 seconds.
Thanks to high automation systems, the TMH can be operated by a three-person crew in
case of emergency.
So, setting up for firing, sending three rounds and leaving position takes two minutes, which
gives the CAESAR a high avoidance chance from counter-battery fire.
Also, the armoured cabin is resistant to small arms and shell splinters.
But, the mine protection of the vehicle is low for modern standards.
During the fire, the crew leaves the cabin, so they do not have ballistic and NBC protection.
The crew of the Sherpa 5-based CAESAR is five-person.
The TMH is 10 metres long, 2.55 metres wide, and 3.26 metres high.
Its combat weight is 17,700 kilograms.
The 240-horsepower Renault dCI 6 diesel engine provides a maximum speed of 100 kilometres
per hour.
The range of the vehicle is 600 kilometres.
The CAESAR can negotiate 0.5-metre vertical steps, and it can be ford to a depth of 1.2
metres.
The 155mm 52 calibre gun has a range of 39,000 metres with a standard projectile, 42,000
metres with an Extended Range Full-Bore-Base Bleed projectile and 50,000 metres with an
Extended Range Full-Bore-rocket-assisted/Base Bleed projectile.
The standard rate of fire is six to eight rounds per minute.
The elevation of the gun is between -3 and +66 degrees.
The barrel can be traversed at 17 degrees on both sides.
The UNIMOG U2450L-based CAESARs have minor differences.
In 2022, the French Government Defence procurement and technology agency, Direction générale
de l'armement, awarded Nexter a contract to develop the Mark II variant of the CAESAR.
This model, also known as CAESAR new generation or CEASAR NG, features a new chassis with
a more powerful 460 hp engine, a new automatic gearbox and new fire control software.
The ballistic protection of the TMH is also enhanced.
The CAESAR Mark II can protect the crew against landmines which contains 6-kilogram TNT-equivalent
explosive.
The Frech Army will acquire 33 newly built TMHs, and the existing CAESARs will be upgraded
to Mark II standards.
The T-815 8x8 truck-based-CAESAR variant was unveiled in 2015 and chosen by Denmark in
2017.
It has a four-person crew.
The 8x8 CAESAR can carry 30 rounds and has better cross-country mobility than the 6x6
variants.
It has the 402-horsepower Tatra T3C-928-90 diesel and a combat weight of 30.2 tons.
Czechia and Denmark have already chosen this variant.
On January 19, 2023, the Danish Parliament decided to donate all Danish 8x8 CAESARs to
Ukraine.
France announced the procurement plan for 32 8x8 CAESARs in 2015 to replace the AUF
1s, but since then, no contract has been signed.
Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Indonesia, Lithuania, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Thailand,
and Ukraine have already chosen the CAESAR.
France deployed eight CAESARs into Afghanistan in 2009.
In 2012, four CAESARs fought in Mali.
France also used these TMHs against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
In 2011, Thailand tasked the CAESARs to silence the Cambodian BM-21s.
The Royal Thai Army claimed that these TMHs destroyed two or more Grads.
Saudi Arabia has used the CAESARs during the war in Yemen.
The Ukrainians have successfully operated this TMH against the Russian Invasion.
In June 2022, some Russian sources claimed that the Russian forces captured two CAESARs.
The Ukrainians quickly denied this claim, and the Russians could not provide any visuals
for confirmation.
But, in November 2022, one CAESAR fell victim to a Russian Lancet-90 loitering munition.
We have defined the basic logic of the TMH as mounting a howitzer on a truck rather than
towing it in some of our previous videos.
Of course, there is more to add to this simplified explanation.
The developments, which paved the way for the creation of the TMHs, go back to the 1970s.
In those years, The number of towed artillery owned by the Warsaw Pact was much superior
to NATO.
Besides, no towed howitzers of the West could not reach the range of the 130mm M-46 field
gun.
So, the Warsaw Pact armies had the advantage on the counter-battery missions.
The 175mm M107 was the only artillery system which could deal with the M-46.
But it was self-propelled, in order words, much more expensive.
So, many Western countries began to work on a new family of 155mm howitzers.
The 45-calibre barrels and new types of propelling charges increased the range.
The towed howitzers were fitted with auxiliary power units, which gave them limited mobility,
reduced the set-up time, and increased the rate of fire.
Even though the result was highly successful, it created a bizarre situation.
The Western countries worked on advanced towed artillery systems because they had lower costs
and were less complex than the self-propelled ones.
But, the new howitzers, such as the FH70, G5, TR F1 or FH77, were highly complex and
expensive.
Since they could change their position without needing a towing vehicle, they were not real
towed artillery.
The French found a solution to this problem with the CAESAR.
Bringing the howitzer and its towing vehicle together has eliminated the need for an auxiliary
power unit and reduced the repositioning time.
The CAESAR was created as an alternative to the towed howitzer with an auxiliary power
unit.
The actual reason for this creation was never to replace the conventional SPHs, whose original
mission was to accompany the mechanized units on rough terrain.
But, after the end of the First Cold War, the mechanized warfare between the two modern
armies seemed unlikely.
So, while the low-cost and simple TMHs gained popularity, the expensive and complex tracked
SPHs lost their priority.
So, the CAESAR became the pioneer of a new era.
Many assumed that the TMHs were the next step in the evolution of the artillery and the
conventional SPHs obsolete.
With the rise of Chinese military power, the Russian annexation of Crimea, and the Russian
invasion of Ukraine, a new era began, which we describe as the Second Cold War.
So, the world has begun to need conventional SPHs again.
The CAESAR has also transformed the SPHs.
Wheeled SPHs, which have lower production and life cycle costs and offer more strategic
mobility, are more popular today.
However, the market successes of the South Korean K9 and German PzH 2000 show us that
modern armies still need the tracked SPHs in this new era.
The war in Iraq and Afghanistan showed that old-school towed artillery is still practical.
Using a TMH or an SPH in a firebase, which does not face the threat of counter-battery
fire, causes unnecessary costs.
During the fire, the pressure and recoil force wear out not only the gun but also the carrying
vehicle.
So, it doubles the expenses.
One towed howitzer requires one truck.
This vehicle also carries the ammunition, spare parts, supplies and rotation crew.
A TMH in a stationary firebase also needs a second truck for these jobs.
The towed howitzers are still practical for modern armies depending on the operational
environment.
The TMHs fill the gap between the towed and self-propelled artillery, not replace them.
So, comparing the CAESAR with the Archer, PzH 2000, or M777 is meaningless.
The CAESAR is not a more advanced SPH.
It has created a new weapon system class.
It is a cleverly designed, highly efficient and groundbreaking artillery system which
fills a vital gap.
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