Caesar Artillery Is Coming: France Is Sending “Significant” Equipment to Ukraine – French President Emmanuel Macron told regional newspaper Ouest-France this week that he had sent “significant equipment” to Ukraine to help fight against Russian invaders.
“We are delivering significant equipment, from Milan to Caesar,” Macron said, referring to anti-tank missiles and Howitzers respectively.
“I think we have to continue on this route. Always with the red line that we will not become parties to the conflict,” he added.
The sending of military hardware to Ukraine was confirmed by French Defense Minister Florence Parly on Twitter. Parly said that several Caesar artillery cannons had been delivered to Ukraine along with thousands of shells.
On Vladimir Putin, Macron said that he feels an “ethical weight” to talking to the Russian president, slamming him for his “denial of facts.”
“If we choose out of fatigue not to speak to him anymore, then we leave the responsibility of talking with President Putin to the Turkish President, to the Indian Prime Minister, to the Chinese President,” he said. “And we decide that it is non-Europeans who will build peace in Europe the next day.”
Macron also insisted that France “must help the Ukrainians as much as possible” without becoming a “co-belligerent.”
What is the Caesar?
The Caesar artillery system is a 155mm 52-calibre self-propelled gun that is manufactured by Nexter Systems in Versailles. The weapon is the product of a collaboration with Lohr Industrie of Hangenbieten, in France, and was first ordered by the French Army in 2003. By December of 2004, 72 more Caesars were ordered for the French Army, and used to replace the old TRF1 Howitzer artillery systems.
The weapons system officially entered production in 2006.
The Caesar is designed to be independently operated, featuring a cabin designed to protect the six-man crew that operates the machine against small arms fire and shrapnel. It was specifically designed to be rapidly deployed, meaning that Ukrainian troops will be able to more quickly respond to Russian fire or take aim at Russian troops first as they continue to advance from both the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers will be able to use the weapons system to fire shells at ranges of more than 25 miles.
A French Caesar self-propelled howitzer fires into the Middle Euphrates River Valley in Southwest Asia, Dec. 2, 2018. As part of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, they are supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces as they clear the last remaining pockets of ISIS from the Middle Euphrates River Valley and pre-vent them from fleeing into Iraq. In conjunction with partner forces, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve defeats ISIS in designated areas of Iraq and Syria and sets conditions for follow-on operations to increase regional stability. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Mikki L. Sprenkle)
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
