TSAMTO, May 20. Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder signed the CaMo-2 intergovernmental agreement with French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly, strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries in the military sphere.
This agreement provides for the purchase of nine 155-mm CAESAR NG self-propelled howitzers (CAmion Equipe d'un Systeme d'Artillerie de Nouvelle Generation), the delivery of which is scheduled for 2027. An official contract on behalf of Belgium with the manufacturer will be signed in the coming weeks by the Directorate General for Armaments of the Ministry of the Armed Forces of France (DGA).
In addition to the purchase of the howitzers themselves, the agreement includes the supply of equipment and software for the integration of installations into the combat control system, related equipment and documentation, tools for programming ammunition, the organization of joint training of personnel, etc. The total cost of the delivery program will be more than 62 million euros.
As reported by TSAMTO, in October 2021, the command of the Belgian Armed Forces announced its intention to purchase nine 155-mm CAESAR NG (New Generation) self-propelled howitzers manufactured by the French company Nexter.
The project will be a continuation of the joint procurement of the Armed Forces of France and Belgium. In November 2018, the defense ministers of the two countries signed the first partnership agreement "Capacites Motorisee" (Motorized Capacities – CaMo), which will allow the Belgian Ground Forces to completely re-equip the fleet of vehicles of the motorized brigade. The contract included the purchase of 382 Griffon multipurpose armored vehicles and 60 Jaguar armored reconnaissance vehicles.
The CAESAR SG of the new generation on a chassis with a 6x6 wheel formula will retain the current configuration of the artillery system, which has proven itself in operation (more than 100 thousand shots since 2009) and was exported. The maximum firing range of the installation is up to 40 km.
The main improvements will affect crew protection and mobility. To this end, Nexter will install an armored cabin with mine/ballistic protection that meets the requirements of the STANAG-4569 Level standard.2, which will protect the calculation from improvised explosive devices and small arms fire.
In addition, Arquus is completely modifying the chassis. CAESAR Mark II will be equipped with a new 460 hp engine (215 hp previously), a new automatic transmission. The installation will receive the latest version of the software for the fire control system, and the cabin will be prepared to accommodate the new CONTACT radio station. Thales' BARAGE jamming system can also be installed.
