France will soon deliver 78 additional Caesar self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said this week.
An agreement was reached between France, Denmark, and Ukraine to finance the purchase, AP wrote citing the minister.
France and Denmark already delivered a total of 49 Caesars to Ukraine, each costing between $3.3 and $4.4 million.
Caesar Features
The truck-mounted 155mm howitzer can fire a volley of six to eight rounds a minute in sustained fire or three rounds in 15 seconds in rapid fire.
It can fire up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) away and has an on-road speed of 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour.
80,000 Shells for Ukraine
Paris will also deliver 80,000 155mm shells to Ukraine this year, up from 30,000 already handed over since the beginning of the war, Lecornu said.
“The combination of the acceleration of rates and the recycling of old stocks now makes it possible to set the objective at 100,000 shells received by the French forces in 2024, including 80,000 redirected to the Ukrainian partner,” Forces Operations Blog wrote citing the minister.
France is also part of the Czech Republic’s initiative to procure 800,000 shells from non-EU sources for Ukraine, with the first batch expected to be delivered before June.