Artillery: The Belgian government approves the purchase of CAESAr from the French Nexter
If, to modernize its combat aviation, Belgium chose the American F-35A at the expense of a European solution, it is quite different for its land forces. Thus, after having signed an order with France to acquire 382 multi-role armored vehicles [VBMR] GRIFFON and 60 armored reconnaissance and combat vehicles [EBRC] JAGUAR as part of its CAMO program [Capacité motorisée], the Belgian Defense will once again be able to acquire French equipment, in this case Trucks equipped with an artillery system [CAESAr].
Indeed, the Belgian Council of Ministers has just given the green light for the purchase of “nine new generation CAESar long-range French artillery systems. [NG] “, has indicated the daily L’Echo, November 1. The amount of this order has not been specified. However, an envelope of 48 million euros had been provided for such a purchase by the Strategic Vision published in 2016.
The choice of the CAES was mentioned by General Pierre Gérard, the commander of the Land component of Belgian Defense, last January, in a message posted on social networks on the occasion of the greetings for the new year.
“In terms of capacity, our artillery has started to gain strength, and this recovery is reflected in very concrete facts such as the reactivation of the Mistral capacity, the purchase confirms again this month of firing and counter radars – battery, and I hope for new CAESar howitzers in the months to come, ”General Gérard had indeed stated.
The cooperation between the French and Belgian land forces will therefore go up a notch, while, already, the acquisition by Belgium of GRIFFON and JAGUAR – two armored vehicles of the Army’s SCORPION program – includes a component doctrinal as well as convergences in terms of training, training and maintenance in operational condition [MCO].
As a reminder, designed by Nexter, the CAESr has a 155 mm / 52 caliber tube mounted on a 6 × 6 or 8 × 8 frame depending on the version. With a theoretical range of 38 km [avec un simple obus], it can fire at a rate of six rounds / min, with a battery start-up and exit time of just over a minute. Equipped with ATLAS terminals, one of its strengths is its fire control. Recently the Czech Republic ordered 52 copies [en version 8×8] for 224 million euros.