France helps Ukraine in the war against Russia with Caesar self-propelled gun mounts. About their main characteristics and where you can use these self-propelled guns – read the material TSN.ua.
The provision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with self-propelled artillery mounts Caesar (Caesar) was announced by French President Emanuel Macron in his interview with Ouest France. What do we know about this ACS?
SAU “Caesar”: history
ACS “Caesar”: history of creation / commons.wikimedia.org
SAU “Caesar” is a self-propelled artillery mount using 155 mm caliber and developed in France by Nexter. The first howitzer sample was shown only in 1994, and in 2000 the French Armed Forces signed a contract for the supply of five such installations. All of them were made on a chassis with a 6 * 6 wheelbase from a Unimog U2450L car (Mercedes-Benz). Although for the Czech Republic, these self-propelled gun mounts were produced on the basis of Tatra.
The first self-propelled guns under this order were delivered at the end of 2002. Serial production began in 2007. During firing tests in January 2022, the Excalibur guided projectile was fired from the Caesar self-propelled guns. He was able to destroy two targets 46 km from the gun mount.
Tactical and other characteristics
- Weight: 18.5 tons;
- Gun length: 10 meters;
- Hull length: 10.5 m;
- Height: 3.26 meters;
- Width: 2.55 meters;
- Engine: diesel;
- Movement speed: on the highway – 80 km / h, on the middle terrain – 50 km / h;
- Highway range: 600 km;
- Gun: 155 mm TR F1 howitzer;
- Maximum rate of fire: 6 rounds per minute;
- Ammunition: 18 shells (in version 6 * 6).
The Caesar ACS is equipped with an armored cabin for 5 people, which protects against balls (caliber up to 7.62 mm) and shell fragments (2 STANAG 4569). There is also an air conditioning system.
The installation is completed with the Sigma-30 system for fire control with automatic aiming and the receiver of the NAVSTAR navigation system. This includes an integrated ballistic control unit (fully integrated with the FCS ATLAS) and a radar that measures the initial speed. Thanks to the automatic projectile feed system, the time required for a shot is significantly reduced.
The ACS “Caesar” uses two drive guidance: the main – hydraulic and auxiliary – manual. For firing, a self-propelled artillery installation can use cluster, high-explosive fragmentation, lighting, smoke projectiles, BONUS anti-tank guided projectiles and active-rocket projectiles.
There is also a version of the Caesar self-propelled guns on an 8 * 8 wheelbase. In this case, the self-propelled gun mount weighs 32 tons, is 12.3 meters long and 3.1 meters wide.
The cost of one self-propelled gun “Caesar” is about 2.9-5.2 million US dollars.
Where can be used and benefits
ACS “Caesar”: advantages and where to use / commons.wikimedia.org
ACS “Caesar” can be used to destroy:
- artillery batteries;
- manpower of the enemy.
It is also used when you need to safely pass through minefields and field barriers.
The main advantages of this French self-propelled gun mount are:
- long firing range;
- high tactical and strategic mobility;
- low operating costs.
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