On December 14, 2022, the Czech Ministry of Defense signed with the French company Nexter Systems an addendum to the 2021 contract for the purchase of 52 self-propelled CAESAR howitzers of 155 mm/52 caliber in the performance on the Tatra T815 (8x8) wheeled chassis. According to the addendum, the Czech Republic will acquire 10 more CAESAR self-propelled howitzers in this version with delivery in 2026. The value of the additional contract is 1.77 billion CZK ($77.5 million), including VAT. Thus, the total cost of the contract for the purchase of a total of 62 CAESAR self-propelled howitzers will amount to 10.3 billion kronor ($451.2 million), including VAT.
One of the first two 155 mm/52 Nexter CAESAR self-propelled howitzers on a Tatra T815 (8x8) wheeled chassis, manufactured for the Danish Ground Forces, at the test site, 2019 (c) Ministry of Defense of DenmarkRecall that the contract with Nexter Systems for the purchase of 52 self-propelled CAESAR howitzers of 155 mm/52 caliber for the Czech Army, executed on a Tatra T815 (8x8) wheeled chassis, was signed on September 30, 2021, its contract value was 8.5 billion CZK with VAT.
Deliveries of the first 52 CAESAR systems to the Czech Republic will be made from 2024 to 2026. Of these, 48 (and, apparently, now the ordered 10) will be assembled in the Czech Republic by enterprises of the private defense industry group Czechoslovak Group (CSG) - the assembly of the ACS themselves will be carried out by Excalibur Army, Tatra Trucks will manufacture and supply the Tatra T815 chassis, Tatra Defense Vehicles will manufacture armored cabs, and Retia will assemble fire control systems and connections.
The Czech Ministry of Defense announced its decision to purchase the CAESAR 155-mm/52 self-propelled gun on a Tatra T815 wheeled chassis in June 2020. In the Czech Army, CAESAR self-propelled howitzers should replace 152 mm Dana self-propelled howitzers also on a wheeled chassis, which are armed with two artillery divisions (131st and 132nd) of the 13th Artillery Regiment in Jinich. Each division has 24 Dana self-propelled guns on a regular basis and will be re-equipped with the same number of CAESAR self-propelled guns (the total number of Dana systems, including those in storage, now in the Czech army at the beginning of 2022 was 86 units, however, apparently, at least 24 have now been transferred to Ukraine).
The CAESAR self-propelled howitzer on the Tatra T815 (8x8) chassis is the third version of this popular artillery system on the world market, after earlier versions made on the Renault (Arquus) Sherpa 5 (6x6) chassis (the main serial version) and Unimog U2450L (6x6) (the latter is supplied to the Saudi National Guard). The CAESAR self-propelled howitzer, designed on the Tatra T815 (8x8) chassis, has an armored cabin and a total weight of 32 tons, equipped with a Tatra V8 diesel engine with a capacity of 410 hp. The calculation is reduced to three people. The installation is equipped with 36 rounds of ammunition.
The CAESAR variant based on the Tatra T815 (8x8) chassis was first introduced in 2015, and its first customer in 2017 was Denmark, contracting 15 (and then increasing to 19) systems, deliveries of which were launched in the fall of 2019. At the same time, serial deliveries of these systems to Denmark have not yet begun due to the revealed technical problems, and the issue of transferring six self-propelled guns manufactured for Denmark to Ukraine is being considered.
In addition, in 2019, it was reported that Nexter Systems has an undisclosed order from an undisclosed customer for another 97 CAESAR systems on the Tatra T815 (8x8) chassis with a delivery plan in 2022-2024 - presumably, this customer is the ground forces of Saudi Arabia. Information about their deliveries is also not yet available.
Simultaneously with the signing of an additional agreement for the purchase of 10 CAESAR self-propelled guns on December 14, 2022, the Czech Ministry of Defense announced a plan to purchase ammunition for CAESAR self-propelled guns in the amount of 10.17 billion kronor ($ 445.4 million), their deliveries in 2025-2029 will be conducted by the Czech company STV Group. 65,848 shells of 155 mm caliber of five types, 65,848 fuzes of three types, 76,860 primers, 283680 powder charges, and 2708 inert training ammunition should be delivered.
