French
AMX-10RCR
6x6 reconnaissance armoured vehicles and CAESAR
155mm self-propelled howitzers of French Army have left the city of Niamey,
capital of Niger, Thursday, January 31, 2013, to join their operation
area in the region of Gao, located more than 400 km of Niamey. |
The
vehicles AMX-10RCR
from the 1er
RIMa (1st Marine Infantry Regiment) will be involved in the
operation Serval in Mali to ensure the security of Gao airport and bridges
on the Niger River.
A French infantry company equipped with VAB
armored personnel carrier, as well as 155 mm self-propelled howitzer CAESAR
from the 11e
RAMA (11th Marine Artillery Regiment) will enhance the French
armed forces and Malian soldiers in Gao.
The CAESAR
truck-mounted artillery system is a 155mm 52-calibre wheeled self-propelled
howitzer developed by Nexter
Systems (formerly Giat), based in Versailles, France. Caesar
is equipped with a 155mm, 52-calibre barrel and can maintain a firing
rate of six to eight rounds a minute in sustained fire, or three rounds
in 15 seconds in rapid fire.
CAESAR
is able of supporting all types of motorized, mechanized or armoured units
including rapid deployment forces. The CAESAR represents the latest military
technological innovations in mobile artillery for the modern battlefield.
French air operations continued with more than 70 missions with about
twenty dedicated for air strikes. These air operations have resulted the
destruction of five major targets, mainly logistics facilities and training
centers in the area Aguelhok.
Around 4,000 French soldiers are now present on Malian soil. Alongside
them, nearly 4,000 African soldiers are currently deployed in Mali, with
2,200 soldiers from the MISMA (Mali African-led International Support
Mission to Mali) including soldiers from Togo (640), Burkina Faso (500),
Nigeria (240) Niger (530), the Benin (150) and Senegal (50). Other elements
are expected to join African troops in the next few weeks.
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